Kansas City Hosts First Thou Shalt Honor Town Hall Meeting

August 26, 2003
The burdens on adult children who care for elderly parents pose a growing crisis for America, said Kansas City participants in the first of a series of And Thou Shalt Honor Town Hall Meetings.

Producer Dale Bell briefs participants before first Thou Shalt Honor Town Hall Meeting in Kansas City.

More than 70 people attended the Kansas City Town Hall meeting, which was held at the studios of public television station KCPT. It will be shown at 8 p.m. Sept. 25 on KCPT.

"One in four families in our community and nationally are actively involved in caregiving for a frail elderly adult," said Myra Christopher, president and chief executive officer of the Midwest Bioethics Center in Kansas City. "The implications of that ripple through a community."

In addition, Christopher said a joint study done in the 1990s by MetLife and AARP reported that 85 percent of all care of frail elderly persons occurred at home. And 80 percent of that at-home care was provided by family members.

The MetLife-AARP study also calculated that American businesses lose as much as $29 billion a year because of employee obligations and concerns related to care for frail elderly family members, Christopher said.

"The numbers are undoubtedly higher now because of the graying of America," she said. "As we experience the aging of the boomers, we're going to have a lot more old people to take care of."

The Kansas City Partnership for Caregiving sponsored the event. It was formed by the Midwest Bioethics Center earlier this year to meet some of the concerns of family caregivers.

Among the panelists was Rep. Dennis Moore (D-Kansas), who said he empathizes with the needs of family caregivers. He noted that there is legislation pending in Congress to provide tax credits and tax deductions related to long-term care but cautioned that there is fierce competition for federal dollars.

"Right now we've had a series of tax cuts," Moore said. "We've got a war in Iraq that's costing a billion dollars a week" and a growing federal deficit.

Representing the Bush administration was Edwin L. Walker, deputy assistant secretary for policy and programs for the Administration on Aging, part of the Department of Health and Human Services. Walker said the government is taking measures, such as disseminating more information on how caregivers can obtain help.

"We have to do a better job of connecting resources within communities together so that they work as a whole to really serve people who are in need," Walker said.

Other panelists included Lynda Moore Walker, 57. She cares for her 81-year-old mother, who has suffered three strokes since 2001.

"My whole life is her now basically, because everything I do has to be centered around her doctors' appointments, what needs she has," Walker said. "If I need to go someplace, I need to arrange to have someone be with her. It's basically like having a child all over again."

Many participants said they need more opportunities for rest and recreation.

Mary Kay McPhee, 76, said respite care from a certified nursing assistant turned her life around when she had been caring for her husband and mother, who are now deceased.

"It made all the difference in the world to me," said McPhee, who is chairwoman of the Kansas City Partnership for Caregiving and a board member of the Midwest Bioethics Center. "I was able to enjoy life on my own. I would be able to go out and see my friends, have lunch with them, do my shopping -- those kinds of things."

Gail Hunt, executive director of the Washington-based National Alliance for Caregiving, said support from employers is vital.

"We need to focus on what employers can do for people who are giving care today," Hunt said. "What the research shows is that people want flextime. They want flexible hours, and they want information."