Dear John,

Today is National Caregivers Day. As a caregiver to my brother, part of the care team for my grandmother, and a former direct care worker, I can tell you from experience: Care work is the work that makes all other work possible.

My brother Chris is 33 and has autism. When I advocate for the people who give and receive care, it’s his voice that’s in my head – which is ironic because my brother doesn’t use his voice to speak. Having access to care services has allowed my brother to live more independently and be a part of his community. It allows my grandmother, who has Parkinsons, to age with dignity and stay in her home for as long as she chooses.

Nicole and her brother Chris smile for a selfie [[link removed]]

Everybody deserves dignity in their moments of need and everybody deserves support so they can have the highest level of independence possible. Care work makes that possible. But it’s gone ignored by our leaders for far too long.

Our country currently faces a shortage of direct care workers – most of whom are women and people of color – due to dismal pay and few benefits. This has left millions of family caregivers trying to fill in the gap with little structural support – it's even happened in my family. For months during the pandemic my brother didn’t have a direct care worker because of the workforce crisis, and I have missed work to support my grandma when nobody else could.

All of us depend on care. But too often, it’s treated as something personal that people must struggle with on their own. We can create a system that works better for us all, including paid leave for all workers, affordable childcare, accessible aging and disabled care, and fair wages and good benefits for care workers. This country has the resources to give people the support they need – it’s just a matter of making care a priority.

We say it everyday, and it’s true: Care can’t wait. With your support, we can continue to lift up the importance of caregivers to the highest halls of power to prioritize a better care system for us all. Even $15 can go a long way to support this work. [[link removed]]

Thank you for your support and partnership.

With care,

Nicole Jorwic, Chief of Campaigns & Advocacy
Caring Across Generations
A gift to Caring Across Generations changes the landscape of care in the US. Your contribution will help uplift care stories in the mainstream media and push for more investments in child care, paid leave, and home and community-based services. Because #CareCantWait.


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