At last week’s Afternoon Tea, our Hawaii members listened to a panel discussion about care-giving. Our panelists offered valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities for families to come together in caring for a loved one. Lorraine Nakasone, an insurance executive, discussed how she and her siblings came together to plan for, organize, and execute a plan to care for their parents. They took the extraordinary step 20 years ago to collectively fund an account that is now used to pay for a full-time caregiver for their mother. Without that foresight, she said, the financial burden of care-giving would be daunting.

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We also heard from Shelley Wilson who founded Wilson Care Group 20 years ago. Shelley told her own story of being a care recipient at a young age when the car she was driving was hit by a drunk driver. Her long and painful recovery taught her many lessons including not giving up. She advised us to have discussions with family members long before a potential medical crisis will force decisions about who will care for a loved one, how that care will be managed by family members, and how the care will be financed.

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Of course, along with valuable information from our terrific panelists, was the opportunity to network with friends and new colleagues. It was as always in Hawaii, a time for networking and a safe place to talk about difficult topics.

-Cora