Dear Ms. Whitman,
What is your position on CAREGIVERS in California?
Reports are that since February when you began campaigning for California’s highest office that you have outspent the other candidates with $59 million of your own funds.
What good is spending all that money if several hundred thousand caregivers have yet to learn your position on caregiving in California?
As a fellow professional, I like to see more women in the top tiers of leadership. I was rooting for you, Ms. Whitman. In fact, I invited you to an event celebrating the Continuum of Care with TheCaregiversVoice.com launch. Over 100 professional and family caregivers in the Los Angeles area would have liked to hear your views on California’s caregivers.
What is your position on the hundreds of thousands of family caregivers who provide care for their loved ones at home? As a former business leader aspiring for political office, you’ll appreciate that these family caregivers’ unpaid services are worth several billion dollars each year.
What is your position on the 100,000 or more of professional caregivers and the agencies they work for who provide care for our loved ones while family caregivers try to earn a living?
Working family caregivers save California tens of millions of dollars by not seeking unemployment or worse, welfare. Meanwhile professional caregivers try to scrape by on meager wages bordering on the poverty line.
Education and business may be two of your key areas of focus, Candidate Whitman, but please don’t overlook the significant slice of your constituency–the CAREGIVER.
As a billionaire businesswoman, former CEO of eBay, and Harvard Business School graduate, who is married to a neurosurgeon, can you appreciate the value of California’s caregivers?
Consider that you and I, at the tail end of the boomer generation will see an increase in the need for caregivers. Remember, California’s caregivers’ collective efforts are worth several billion dollars each year.
As the most prominent of campaigners among California’s three gubernatorial candidates (including Democrat Jerry Brown and Republican Steve Poizner), you have spent nearly 6% of your estimated worth at over a billion dollars. Ms. Whitman, I think it’s time you take a serious look at us–a sizeable portion of your voting constituency.
After all, there will come a day when you will be called upon to care for a loved one or depend on one of us to provide your care.
I look forward to your reply.
Genuinely,
Brenda Avadian, MA
Founder and Editor of TheCaregiversVoice.com
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Caregivers, for more information on Candidate Whitman, see Bloomberg Businessweek’s feature (with photos) at:
Can Meg Whitman’s CEO Savvy Save California? [Update 8/6/2020: Requires subscription to read entire article.]
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Caregivers, we want your views!
Share your comments here on TheCaregiversVoice blog.
Dear Brenda:
I am fortunate to know you and know of your talent and your long time focus on caregivers and the joys sorrows and often financial losses they experience.
The open letter to Meg Whitman is one of the most powerful narratives I have read about caregiving. We must challenge our leaders to step up and not only understand what we will face as a country with an aging population but be clear on what impact they intended to have.
85% of “boomers” do not have long term care insurance. Over 50% of people believe Medicare will pay for services they need as they age.
This is simply NOT TRUE.
The misinformation about aging, services and caregiving is astounding. As a woman, whose once vital 63-year-old husband had a stoke and who went through 2 years of pure hell trying to get adequate care and support, said; “It is staggering how ill-prepared we all are for these situations.”
With your wisdom and desire to change things we will all have a better chance at being prepared.
Jody Dunn
Vice President
Service Integration
Partners in Care Foundation
Dear Brenda,
Thank you for bringing this campaign back to the people who vote and the reality of our everyday lives. I hope that all three candidates for Governor take a moment or two to consider whether or not their flashy campaigns are really impacting Californians and our day to day challenges.