CLAWSON — State Rep. Padma Kuppa (D-Troy) hosted a town hall on Wednesday to explore the connections between different aspects of care, from child care to elder care. The event brought together experts, elected officials and community members from across Michigan to share their experiences and needs in order to foster a dialogue on how to best work together to provide greater care to the state’s most vulnerable residents.
“All aspects of care, from child care to end of life care, are vital to ensuring our community members are able to lead long, happy and healthy lives,” said Kuppa. “To serve as a caregiver in any capacity is a compassionate act and can too often be a thankless job. We brought experts together from so many different fields that are often siloed, so we can find common ground. We must provide comprehensive solutions to the challenges people are facing across the care spectrum all over Michigan.”
Fellow state rep. Jim Ellison (D-Royal Oak) and District 16 Oakland County Commissioner Penny Luebs joined Kuppa for the event.
“As a sitting member on the House Health Policy Committee, and having also served last session on the Families, Children and Seniors Committee, I have listened to the testimonies of Michiganders who are working hard to care for themselves and their families, yet often face frustrating and expensive barriers,” said Ellison. “We must take a “cradle-to-grave” approach to establishing comprehensive programs that help our children, families and seniors receive the care with dignity that all citizens deserve.”
Michigan United and their initiative, Caring Majority, partnered with Rep. Kuppa for this event. As an organization, their mission focuses on bringing the full spectrum of the caregiving infrastructure into the 21st century, and particularly focus on supporting the “sandwich generation” of adults caring for their children and aging parents simultaneously.
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