Help Support a Living Wage for my Caregiver

Hi y’all,

Since we moved to Hawai’i, it’s been very challenging to find quality care at the state rate of $15.25/hr, and understandably so. It’s an insult to both caregiver and care recipients — dismissal of our worth as human beings. It’s been hard to grapple with over the last eleven years, but this is a whole new level. The services are simply lacking here. And it’s like this is many other states as well.

My main caregiver, Elaine, has taken a $4.75/hr pay cut. As a single mother, this is especially difficult. We could use your help supplementing her income to pay the bills and feed her 9 year-old daughter, Freya.

Elaine has worked for me for almost 3 years. We moved out here to Hawai’i together and she and Freya have become my family. A caregiver can make or break your day, and a good caregiver is a total game changer. Care work isn’t easy, and contrary to popular belief — Not everyone can do it well. There are nuances of care that come with heart, experience and dedication. My caregivers are some of the most important people in my life, because they help me to truly live my life, be my best self, stay healthy, and feel safe, seen and supported. Caregivers are a vital part of the human experience — whether you’re a child, an adult, disabled or an elder — we ALL need care.

Care work is tragically undervalued, and I am taking matters into my own hands to see if we can show our caregivers that we value them more than the government does.

I’m asking you to help supplement the income for my caregivers during this difficult time. Let’s see if, with your help, we can pay my caregivers $20/hr. They’ll keep receiving their $15.25/hr from the state, plus any supplemental income we raise here. And I’d love to help pay back Elaine for the thousands of dollars she’s lost over the last five months to scrape by and stay here to help me.

I have to try something. Caregivers are essential, and they need to feel their value, or at the very least, something closer to it. So here we are.

We’re all in this together. Anything helps.

Sending you big love and gratitude always,

Kelsey