Taking Care of Mama, Auntie, Uncle & Tūtū

Photo by Lawrence Tabudlo

As one of the most influential women in the islands, Kealiʻi Lopez spends many a day at the Hawaiʻi State Capitol. At times, it might seem like she lives there, but she really doesn’t.

Still, even on those occasions when she isn’t on-site, it’s important that Lopez is never too far away. (Her office is located just a half-mile down the road at 1001 Bishop St.) That’s because her frequent presence is required on the land once known as Haʻimoeipo, in a structure built with a central open-air courtyard symbolizing open governance, and in a place where — and this is the key — she is able to lobby and sway lawmakers, and thus help guide policy in the islands.

Lopez is the state director of AARP Hawaiʻi and this month makes seven years since she was appointed to that position. The local office she runs is one of 53 spread across the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands for the national organization once known as American Association of Retired Persons.

Its purpose is to advocate for people age 50 and over, and few do it better than Lopez and her crew at the social welfare nonprofit.

Grappling with a litany of issues that affect the elderly — from Social Security, Medicare and caregiving resource protection to fraud prevention, identity theft education and prescription drug affordability — is never easy, but it’s something that Lopez enjoys.

“A big part of our focus is on living well and helping people understand that they really have to plan for things like retirement savings,” says Lopez, who prior to joining AARP Hawaiʻi in August 2019 served for about 15 months as chairwoman of the Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi. “When you’re older, Social Security isn’t going to be enough but it’s something that here at AARP, we’re always going to fight for.

“We also want the kūpuna to understand financial security, and things like fraud. Once you’ve saved up money, the last thing we care to see is for a scammer out there to take away your life savings,” she continues. “Many of the elderly may not have a nest egg, but scammers will go after them because they are often more trusting, and maybe they can be easily influenced to panic and imagine that something bad will happen (if they don’t cooperate).

“So we try to keep them informed.”

And while most of her attention is routinely given to the elderly, that doesn’t mean Lopez isn’t keenly aware of other important contributors in their orbit.

“Yes, we focus on the kūpuna, but we also care about their family caregivers as well,” she assures. “These are the people who help take care of Auntie, Uncle, your grandma, your tūtū, and they all need help in knowing how to care for a loved one.”

As a staunch advocate for legislation that benefits kūpuna, Lopez is thrilled with any victory secured at the state Capitol. She points to wins such as the State Rent Supplement Program for Kūpuna pilot initiative, which was set to expire this year but was recently saved, and the passing of the Hawaiʻi Retirement Savings Program, an auto-IRA plan that specifically helps small-business employees access retirement benefits because traditional plans like the 401(k) are cost-prohibitive and not offered by many small-business owners.

“The supplemental rent program helps older kūpuna who are struggling with paying rent, and it was about to sunset. But we advocated for that to be continued, and it did,” says Lopez about last spring’s passage of Senate Bill 2866 (Act 250), which officially made the program permanent.

As for HRSP, primary legislation was originally signed into law in July 2022. Last year, however, the state Legislature decided to structurally overhaul the program to fix low participation, shifting it from an opt-in model to a mandatory automatic enrollment system. The revised HRSP is expected to go into effect before the end of the year.

“Fifty percent of Hawaiʻi’s employees work for small businesses and this program makes it easier for them to actually save for retirement through their employee payroll deduction,” explains Lopez, whose job history includes serving as director of the state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, and as president/CEO of ‘Ōlelo Community Media. “So we were very successful in getting this passed, but it took about seven years of advocacy.

“Now, we look forward to it being launched later this year.”

Right now, AARP Hawai‘i serves about 38 million American citizens, making it one of the largest member organizations in the country. Lopez is responsible for around 140,000 of those members, but in reality, she’s actually advocating for more than 300,000 member and non-member kūpuna across the islands.

Given those numbers and immense responsibility, it would seem reasonable for her to be leading a sizable crew. That isn’t the case, as Lopez has just four people on staff. What helps to offset the lack of full-time workers is an ample number of volunteers spread throughout the state.

“For some people, they’re like, ‘Well, they’re lucky they got five people on staff. But for nonprofits like us, it’s a rather lean team, and the only reason we’re able to do a lot of activities and advocacy is because we have about 200 wonderful volunteers,” says Lopez.

Working together, staff and volunteers find ways to help older adults age well. This is accomplished through many hands-on community programs that focus on topics such as brain health and overall wellness.

One such initiative is Walk with a Doc, a program that invites patients to take leisurely, out-of-office strolls with their physicians. While Oʻahu has doctors who conduct a similar activity, Lopez says AARP Hawaiʻi partnered with Hilo’s Dr. Craig Kadooka to encourage people to “live a healthy lifestyle in general.”

“The doctor has been doing that for quite some time, walking with patients at Queen Lili‘uokalani Gardens in Hilo, and he uses that time to have conversations about health issues,” Lopez says. “So it’s not just walking — it’s about talking story, getting out there and socializing.”

Part of the reason why Lopez is effective at her job is because she relates to the issues facing today’s kūpuna, especially when it comes to in-home care. She says a good example is her own mother.

“She was 80 years old when she had a stroke and she was already wheelchair bound,” Lopez explains. “But once she had her stroke, she needed 24-7 care. Fortunately, she was able to remain in her home in Nānākuli because we and a (certified nursing assistant) took turns caring for her around the clock. But that was important — for her to stay in her home in Nānākuli. It was a big part of her end-of-life quality before she finally passed when she was 85.

Lopez pauses briefly before continuing: “It (caregiving) touches all of us. Most of us have either been a caregiver, will be a caregiver or will need somebody to care for us later in life.”

Lopez is one of four sisters (she and her twin sister are the eldest) born to George and Lalani Segool. George was a native of Massachusetts, a firefighter and a former Marine, while Lalani was a homemaker from Waimānalo. The two met at the old Pali Lanes bowling alley in Kailua.

“They loved to bowl and I remember seeing all of their trophies,” she recalls.

Her parents were also active members of the Democratic Party and served on the Waimānalo Neighborhood Board. That meant Lopez would have to be equally engaged in community issues.

“I remember standing as a teenager outside of Mel’s Market and getting people to sign petitions because McDonald’s was going to build and the issue was how to keep the zoning the way it was so they couldn’t build a larger McDonald’s,” she recalls. “Even at a young age, I saw how folks thought about things and how to make a difference in people’s lives.”

Her desire to impact others’ lives in meaningful ways continues today at AARP Hawaiʻi. Her hope is that others — most notably young ones — will catch the vision and enroll in the organization.

“You can join AARP as a teenager, but you’d only be an associate member for now,” she explains. “You become a full-fledged member when you turn 50.

“The point is that by joining AARP, you become involved in so many good things that benefit our kūpuna and their family,” Lopez adds. “I see it as an invitation to make a difference.”

As for her seven years on the job, Lopez calls them “everything I anticipated but a whole lot more.”

“When I came to AARP, I think perhaps like other folks, I did not have a full understanding of all that it does. And what’s been great about it is that AARP actually covers so many different areas that it’s never the same thing,” she says. “It’s great because my ability to have different areas of focus and engage in different ways with people works really well, and so there’s never really any time to sit back and take a breather.”