Cori - You know how I feel about all this. We are in total agreement. Re: young people being more interested in hunger in Africa, it's also the celebrities whose efforts for third world countries needs astound me, when they could be devoting their time and money (and voices) to the many horrific needs of this country.
Rosalyn Carter started her caregiver initiative in 1986. If a former first lady doesn't have the connections to bring our problems to the forefront and rally officials to take some action, it's a sad state. The other major caregiving associations don't seem to be making much of a dent either. What does it take to be heard?
Hearing real stories from real people is more important than all the studies that people are doing. Statistics don't seem to matter. When you tell the government that family caregivers save them $450 billion a year, I wonder if they just see that stat as "money in their pockets" that they don't have to underwrite. When they hear that almost a third of the country's population is caring for a family member in some capacity, why don't they see that as a huge and powerful voting block?
There are so many of us and so many of us are silent. I've said it before and I'll say it again, IT'S TIME FOR FAMILY CAREGIVERS TO MAKE SOME NOISE.
It's a little disheartening that even a former first lady can't seem to bring about meaningful change. And now we have a president who cares about caregiving, yet still we wait. The changes we need are big, because the issue is a system that relies on exploitation of some people and the dismissal of others.
As much as it can feel impossible, I've seen so many small initiatives have a big impact that it keeps me hopeful. Small scale projects are thriving while large initiatives don't seem to get very far.
Isn't it interesting how academia can seem so far removed from real life? So much research in health care and economics seem to be studying SimCity or some other model of their own creation, totally overlooking reality.
I know not all of academia is like that. There's some interesting work being done. The thought of entering academia only to be an outsider isn't very enticing, though!
Hopefully we'll both continue to find more clarity and figure out which direction to go in. I'm always eager to hear your thoughts, even when you don't agree. :)
Cori - You know how I feel about all this. We are in total agreement. Re: young people being more interested in hunger in Africa, it's also the celebrities whose efforts for third world countries needs astound me, when they could be devoting their time and money (and voices) to the many horrific needs of this country.
Rosalyn Carter started her caregiver initiative in 1986. If a former first lady doesn't have the connections to bring our problems to the forefront and rally officials to take some action, it's a sad state. The other major caregiving associations don't seem to be making much of a dent either. What does it take to be heard?
Hearing real stories from real people is more important than all the studies that people are doing. Statistics don't seem to matter. When you tell the government that family caregivers save them $450 billion a year, I wonder if they just see that stat as "money in their pockets" that they don't have to underwrite. When they hear that almost a third of the country's population is caring for a family member in some capacity, why don't they see that as a huge and powerful voting block?
There are so many of us and so many of us are silent. I've said it before and I'll say it again, IT'S TIME FOR FAMILY CAREGIVERS TO MAKE SOME NOISE.
Thanks for your post. They're always amazing.
It's a little disheartening that even a former first lady can't seem to bring about meaningful change. And now we have a president who cares about caregiving, yet still we wait. The changes we need are big, because the issue is a system that relies on exploitation of some people and the dismissal of others.
As much as it can feel impossible, I've seen so many small initiatives have a big impact that it keeps me hopeful. Small scale projects are thriving while large initiatives don't seem to get very far.
Hi Cori! I have been meaning to get in touch because I wanted to speak with you about your last post but now the matter has become urgent because there is so much more to say about THIS post! My daughter Natalie who is doing her PhD in the history of disability design at UW (Home Ec dept!) is a friend/colleague of Liz Jackson who coined the term "disability dongle" https://www.cbc.ca/radio/spark/disabled-people-want-disability-design-not-disability-dongles-1.5353131#:~:text=She%20defines%20a%20disability%20dongle,disabilities%20never%20knew%20they%20had.&text=Disability%20dongles%20also%20speak%20to,instead%20of%20participants%20in%20design.. Which of course I was reminded of reading your thoughts on designers who don't know their customers at all. I would love to speak with you about so much of what you are writing about - not least, how some caregivers think other peoples' problems are simple and easy to solve. I'll be in touch - Donna
Isn't it interesting how academia can seem so far removed from real life? So much research in health care and economics seem to be studying SimCity or some other model of their own creation, totally overlooking reality.
I know not all of academia is like that. There's some interesting work being done. The thought of entering academia only to be an outsider isn't very enticing, though!
Hopefully we'll both continue to find more clarity and figure out which direction to go in. I'm always eager to hear your thoughts, even when you don't agree. :)