Tag Archives: vote

October 14, 2024 · 8:00 am

Caregivers in the election spotlight again

When younger, I was a sporadic voter and I still maintain skepticism when it comes to viable government solutions to the major issues impacting our country. As this article from The 19th points out, I’m not the only caregiver who has felt abandoned by lawmakers.

Recently, both the Democrat and Republican presidential candidates offered their plans on how to better support caregivers. As we know from past elections, candidates offer many plans that sound good, but once in office, those plans are often derailed by Congress and/or the courts. Funding for programs supporting caregivers, from childcare to eldercare, always faces an uphill battle.

If the toxic political atmosphere has you feeling down, one empowering action you can take is by helping older folks and disabled people exercise their right to vote.

I’ll also be voting in honor of my former colleague, who died last month. She so wanted to live until the election, and spent the last month of her life working on a plan to be able to vote. It’s an important reminder to not take the right to vote for granted.

Image by Microsoft Copilot.

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October 23, 2020 · 8:00 am

Make a plan to vote now

This is not going to be a partisan political post. I truly believe senior care and caregiving is a bipartisan issue and will take the cooperation of members of all parties in order to pass much-needed legislation.

But the pandemic that has changed so much in 2020 is also changing the way we vote. How you vote and where you vote depends upon your local jurisdiction and personal preference; my only advice is to plan now if you haven’t voted already.

There are arguments to be made for and against the various forms of voting available this year. Here in Georgia, I took advantage of absentee voting and have already mailed in my completed ballot. Thanks to technology, I was able to monitor its progress and received electronic notification when it had been received and approved for processing.

For those who prefer to vote in person, check out your options for early voting. Many states are offering expanded voting locations and it may be a good way to avoid potentially long lines on election day. If you decide to go the traditional route and vote on Nov. 3, be prepared to wait in long lines. Hopefully it won’t be as bad as recent elections, due to the massive amount of people who are voting early this year.

And caregivers should keep COVID-19 in mind when making a voting plan, for yourself and your loved ones. Weigh the risks and comfort level when making your voting plan. Check with assisted living centers to see if they have a plan to help residents vote. For those needing a ride to vote, check out promotions from Uber and Lyft. Make sure to mask up if voting in person, and use hand sanitizer after touching the machine. The one caveat I would point out about waiting until election day to vote is with coronavirus cases on the rise in many areas of the U.S., do you want to run the risk of being sick and missing out on the chance to vote? Just something to consider.

After the election, the real work begins on working with those elected to create sensible, practical caregiving policies that offer families the support they deserve.

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