Isles must move quickly on elder-care safety net
This is Hawai'i, where offshore breakers are familiar images and a useful metaphor.
So think of the aging Baby Boomers who will need care as a tsunami. Those who are watching this wave with a trained eye warn that we have to hit the ground running, or else it is going to swamp us.
A few alarming statistics bring this home. Only three years from now, the number of seniors needing care is expected to begin a steep climb as more boomers retire.
Already, more than one in five Hawai'i adults serve as caregivers for a relative, but lack formal training.
Finally: Hawai'i's over-60 population, now past 18 percent, grew twice as fast as the national average in 10 years.
This underscores the urgency of training and supporting a workforce — both paid and family volunteers — that will care for our kupuna.
To that end, it's encouraging to see some steps being taken in the right direction.
The Kupuna Education Center at Kapi'olani Community College has received support for its mission from two private grants:
These include companions who may drive seniors to appointments, get them discharged from hospitals and perform other tasks that require some skills.
Both initiatives advance the state's preparedness, but outreach must be extended beyond the Kapi'olani campus. For example, the center's programs for the seniors themselves, classes on "active aging" through reinforcement of healthy living practices, should be broadly available.
The longer seniors can stay active, the longer they can thrive without expensive care that is in such short supply.
The baby boomers grew up in an environment that promoted empowerment and self-reliance. So it's completely logical that, as they become elders themselves, they should be enlisted in their own self-care. That can start with a visit to the center's Web site (www.kupunaeducation.com) for a tour of training programs and links to useful resources.
Anticipating the challenge in a holistic way now will tap less of the state's financial resources in the long run.
If this state is to shoulder its caregiving burden capably, a great deal of its human capital needs to be applied to that challenge as well.
