The state is hoping its new program to provide up to $70 a day in services to those caring for seniors will help keep caregivers in the workforce longer.

The Kupuna Caregivers Program, run by the the Hawaii Executive Office on Aging and signed into law by Gov. David Ige earlier this year, began taking applications Wednesday from people who work at least 30 hours a week while caring for a senior. The program will pay for services such as adult day care, respite and transportation.

However, lawmakers initially allotted just $600,000 for the program, which is estimated to help between only 50 and 135 people statewide over the next six months.

That’s a tiny fraction of the 154,000 caregivers in Hawaii, according to the AARP, formerly known as the American Association of Retired Persons. Those 154,000 people provide 144 million hours of unpaid care worth an estimated $2.1 billion, according to AARP. The Legislature did not fund a request for $6 million for the program.

“The funding initially won’t meet the need that’s out there. (But) this is an important first step and a first-of-its-kind program in the nation,” said AARP spokesman Craig Gima. “Caregiving is tough work. It’s a labor of love, but there’s a cost for the caregiver. Many have to leave the workforce, and that affects their ability to save for their own retirement and their future caregiving needs. They also pay a price because of stress and their health.”

The program will seek more funds next legislative session, though the amount has not been determined, said Caroline Cadirao, program systems manager for the Executive Office on Aging.

“We really want to keep these individuals working so that they can stay productive members of society,” she said. “Our older adults are just living longer, families are helping where they can, and you don’t want to burn out caregivers in the process. We know we’re going to get way more calls than those we can probably support. We know demand is great.”

The state money would be paid directly to contracted service providers, not to the caregivers.

Those who qualify for the program must assist a kupuna 60 years or older who is not covered by any comparable government or private home and community- based service, and doesn’t reside in a long-term care facility. The senior also must have daily living impairments. The program will cover the cost of adult day care, as well as services that help with chores and home-delivered meals.

“Support for our caregivers is critically needed as Hawaii’s population is aging more rapidly than the national average and our seniors live longer than seniors in any other state,” Ige said in a news release.

“With Hawaii’s aging population, the pool of potential caregivers declines so significantly that we are headed for a crisis,” added Gima.

The state said it will collect data during the first six months of the program to evaluate demand for services, provider capacity, and how effective the program is in helping caregivers retain employment and easing their financial burden.

That financial burden can be significant.

The annual cost of a private nursing home room in Hawaii is $158,593, or $13,216 a month, while adult day care costs $18,200 a year, or $1,517 a month, according to the 2017 report by Genworth, which offers long-term care insurance. State home health aide services average $18,200, or $4,957 a month.

“It’s overwhelmingly needed. The funding is not there for the majority of people,” said Maui resident Mila Miyashita, who has been a caregiver for the past decade for both parents and an aunt. “If you keep your loved one at home and can maintain your job, your sanity and your well-being, then it is proven to be much better for your loved one and for yourself. Financially, it’s better for the government. If (caregivers) can’t keep their loved one at home, they’re going to put their loved one in a facility and guess who’s going to pay for that? The government.”

For more information or to apply, call the Aging and Disability Resource Center at 643-2372 or go to hawaiiadrc.org.