As the CEO for the only Native Hawaiian Trust focused upon kupuna (elders), we have seen many families struggle with the placement of care for their loved ones. In the ohana family unit — which goes beyond the American value of the “nuclear family” — kupuna were revered, nurtured and an essential part of the transmission of intergenerational knowledge. Today, our systemic infrastructure dismisses this status of elders in our community. I believe that by bringing further empowerment to kupuna, we strengthen entire families.

The Domestic Violence Action Center (DVAC), celebrating 30 years of advocacy this year, has shown me that abuse does not affect only one part of society. Not just women, not just children, but also elders. While the other forms of abuse are more visible, elder abuse is more invisible than other forms of abuse in our society, BUT it still exists. It is hidden in plain sight because so many more kupuna are aging-in-place where their social circles shrink and they become very isolated.

Beyond the physical abuse of medical neglect or abandonment, I have (and we as a community need) an increased awareness in understanding financial abuse as a real form of abuse, on the rise.

With the price of houses surging, the heavy rental market in Honolulu, and the ever-present high cost of living in Hawaii, families are relying more and more on their parents and grandparents’ Social Security checks for making ends meet. Pensions once meant for sustaining a kupuna’s quality of life are being assumed by family members to provide for basic needs like rent, food, etc. The kupuna becomes a needed entity, not for the lived experiences and intergenerational learning, but for supplemental income contributing toward the ALICE population. (ALICE stands for the Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed sector of the community as noted in the 2018 Hawaii overview, www.unitedforalice.org/hawaii.)

Part of the role we play at Lunalilo Home, is to malama (care for and provide safety) for kupuna. King William Charles Lunalilo once owned over 400,000 acres of land across the Hawaiian islands. He left all of that for his people in the specific area of elder care. More than just providing a bed, three meals, cultural-based activities and more, we are caregivers. By recognizing the value of kupuna to our families, we hope to enhance their lives and provide solutions for families.

We also have a commitment to those staff that are the primary caregivers to kupuna. Ensuring their safety and providing resources for staff are also a part of our kuleana. Previously, Cori Weston emphasized the need for businesses to lend support toward their workplaces affected by domestic violence (“Businesses tackle domestic violence,” Island Voices, Star-Advertiser, March 14). I concur that we can only lend kindness and grace, as King Lunalilo did, toward kupuna and our staff that care for them.

I end this column with a reminder that our kupuna remain an essential piece of our community. They are not burdens to society; they are the pillars that we stand upon. Let us continue to revere and enhance their lives with aloha.

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For help:

Cases of elder abuse may be reported to the state Adult Protective Services office at (808) 832-5115. The Domestic Violence Action Center has resources via its helpline at 531-3771, text at (605) 956-5680 or domesticviolenceactioncenter.org.

Dr. Diane S.L. Paloma is chief executive officer for the King Lunalilo Trust and Home.

To mark this year’s 30th anniversary of the Domestic Violence Action Center, the Star-Advertiser is running a column monthly this year to highlight aspects of the problem of domestic abuse. Authors will be from DVAC’s Council of Allies, formed to raise awareness about this communitywide issue.