Dear Mr. President,

Dear Mr. President,

I am a busy mom of two and was a director in senior living. As a millennial, I feel firsthand the struggle of trying to build a stable life in today’s world. My husband and I married young, I was 21. Though we both hold college degrees, I am thankful we purchased our home when we did because had we waited, we could never afford it now. I am thankful for God’s provision over our lives during that time.

I look at my nephews in their early twenties, and for the first time, I have no advice to give. College begins with crushing debt, the housing market has more than doubled, and wages, especially in southern states, have barely moved. I don’t know how young people today are supposed to build a life. It feels like no matter how hard they work, the message to their generation is clear: you can’t work hard enough, do enough, or be enough.

I want to begin by thanking you sincerely for addressing so many of these issues, including interest rates and the unequal burden on working Americans. There is no one more capable of doing the job you are doing, Mr. President, and I am grateful for your willingness to listen. I feel almost guilty asking for your attention on yet another matter, but this is one I carry heavily, and I trust you will appreciate my calling.

I work in the senior living industry, specifically assisted living, independent living, and memory care within the private sector. I have witnessed the heartbreaking reality that aging Americans face. Monthly rates typically range from $3,000 to over $10,000. Seniors often must sell their entire estate and everything they’ve built over a lifetime, just to enter a community where they can receive basic care. For those who need sitters or home-health support, the cost can double. The next balancing act is making sure their funds can stretch to cover until the end of life.

My dad was a blue-collar worker who worked brutal shift work his entire life. He slept no more than four hours a day, and even as a child it was hard to watch the toll it took on him physically, mentally, and on our family. I look back and see just how great my mother was as his partner in making sure every dollar made our house a home even when money was tight.  As children, we never saw the struggle. We always thought their favorite meal was lima beans and rice. Only later did we learn it was simply all they could afford.

Last year, for their 50th anniversary celebration, we served lima beans, rice, and collard greens to over 150 people!  That humble meal meant more to us than any gourmet meal ever could.

At 33, I am already thinking constantly about my parents’ future. My grandfather is 93 and still lives at home because my mother and her siblings rotate caregiving shifts. It is a blessing, but also a heavy burden for them now in their early retirement. My family believes deeply in building community and caring for our elders, and that value was instilled in me from childhood.

But now that I work in senior living, I see how rapidly the need is growing and how unprepared our nation is. Families are scattered across the country; few households remain in one place for generations. Senior living is becoming a necessity, not a luxury and yet it is completely unaffordable for most Americans.

When I look at my parents’ retirement savings, even though they live a simple life and have invested faithfully, I know that senior living is not an option for them. I lose sleep wondering what will happen. There is no middle ground between expensive private-pay assisted living and the often-heartbreaking state of many nursing homes.

What worries me even more is my own generation. My husband is a lead engineer in a well-known corporation, and yet we live paycheck to paycheck. I think constantly about saving for our elder years, but math simply doesn’t work. If I didn’t work in senior living, I might not have realized this crisis existed at all. I am not sure if my generation has even thought of this yet and that the future for us all looks very bleak.

I often think about the families who call our facilities looking for a home only to hear the price and quietly say, “We can’t afford that.” What happens to them? Where do they go? What happens to the elderly who have no family nearby? What is the “other” option?

As families spread out and global mobility increases, senior living will only be a growing trend. I feel that we owe it to the generation that built this country to offer them a senior living experience that honors their past, values their present, and makes their tomorrows better. A place that aging doesn’t feel like a burden and where their comfort is home.

If millennials and younger generations are going to inherit this responsibility, then we need an America where hard work pays off, where stability is possible, where we see balance. A place where you take out what you invest; and where the circle of life remains a circle—not a corner we are trapped in.

The solution feels bigger than my mind can process. Perhaps it involves expanding affordable senior living options. Perhaps it means creating long-term-care savings programs, or providing tax credits for family caregivers, or ensuring ethical oversight of private industry where the private sector isn’t largely profiting over a dire need.  I know that if I must take care of my parents, we will not be anywhere near retirement age so how will we take care of our own home? I don’t know the exact answer, but one thing is for sure, that aging comes for us all if we are lucky enough and attention to this matter is the start of the solution. The future of America needs to see why it matters and our elderly population needs to feel like they still matter.

Thank you for your time, your service, and your heart for the American people.

P.S. When I told my seven-year-old daughter I was writing this letter to the President, she smiled and said, “Donald Trump! I bet this makes him cry and maybe he’ll put it on the news.” I don’t know if I can make you cry, Mr. President, but I do know you will care.

Respectfully,