I was invited to the meeting by its organizers, the Women’s City Club of NY, a public policy group, to give out information and collect signatures to send to the U.S. Senate to get the conversion to the Caregiver Tax Credit.

Here is the difference between Gail Sheehy and Carol Levine: On the way out, Gail Sheehy said hello and when I asked her to fill out an endorsement sheet for the Caregiver Tax Credit, she enthusiastically did so and made positive comments. She signed even though she was rushing out (the meeting had ended late). When Carol Levine came out, she stood by my table but with her back to me. When I went over and introduced myself (reminding her that we had met several years prior) and asked her to sign so that we can begin to get an income credit for caregivers, she looked at the sheet, did not look at me, and said dismissively, “I don’t have time for this.” She then proceeded to the elevator without looking back at me. She did not even say goodbye or thank you to the two members of the Board of Directors of the Women’s City Club who saw the whole thing, nor thank them for inviting her.

Notwithstanding whatever Carol Levine may have written, or is writing, about her experiences as a caregiver, yesterday she showed herself to be not a true advocate. She is a paid speaker who clearly does not care to get a significant policy win for caregivers in the form of some income safety net. She has no respect for the work of other advocates such as myself.

Gail Sheehy on the other hand, really cares and is a true enthusiast and motivator of other activists. I will never attend another talk by Carol Levine again.

Wishing you much success!

Best,
Denise

In honor of NFC Month, NFCA is hosting a free teleclass on how to prevent medication mishaps. It’s on Nov. 12 from 2-3 pm ET and you can register at http://www.thefamilycaregiver.org. Please pass it along!

Thank you again! Happy National Family Caregivers Month!