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| Photo Credit: Institute for Policy Studies via Flickr |
The following article first appeared on the Web site of The Nation. For more great content from the Nation, sign up for its e-mail newsletters here.
A
new campaign calling itself Caring Across Generations has in mind
nothing less than a 180-degree turn in the way that Americans think
about themselves, one another, the economy and workers. This group aims
to create 2 million quality jobs in the process and put us all on track
for a happy, healthy old age too. But first we need to talk, out loud,
about care.
A
meeting in New York in February kicked off with stories. “Share a
personal care story,” coaxed Ai-jen Poo, co-director of Caring Across
Generations (CAG) and director of the National Domestic Workers
Alliance.
From around the table,
the stories came. The story of the grandpa whose homecare worker came
to his hospital to brush his hair after he suffered a stroke. The nanny
who took the kids to school so Mom could practice law. The lover with
disabilities who needs full-time care: “It takes a village, but right
now I’m the village,” says the partner, Alexandra, who also uses a
wheelchair. Domestic worker Barbara, born overseas, was nervous: “I’ve
been a caregiver all my life, and now I’m turning 65. Who’s going to be
there to take care of me?” READ MORE
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