September 15, 2010
By Ashley Gebb/Appeal-Democrat
Rising costs and fixed incomes are an incompatible combination — yet it is one senior citizens face every day.
Seniors, no matter their source of income, often struggle to make ends meet in Yuba and Sutter counties, according to standards released Wednesday by UCLA and the Insight Center for Community Development.
The standards calculate for each county the minimum income necessary to cover an older adult's basic expenses and estimate the number of senior citizens who have — or do not have — that income.
A local senior citizen would need a minimum income of $19,629 a year to meet their basic needs — housing, food, medical care and transportation, according to those standards.
Using that data, the Area 4 Agency on Aging estimates 4,432 seniors in Sutter County and 2,847 seniors in Yuba County fall in the eligibility gap, said Planner Will Tift. Those citizens are above the federal poverty level but still don't earn enough for their basic needs.
"That's a substantial percentage," he said. "Somewhere between a third and a half of seniors in both counties do not have enough money to make ends meet."
Some accumulate debt, others turn to family and friends to help them out and others go without.
"They may not be going to doctor's appointments or dental appointments or having their vision checked because they can't afford to do those things," Tift said. "Some may drive without insurance because they can't afford it."
The greatest challenge is not fixed incomes but rising costs, said Yuba City resident Norman Walker, 80.
"They are nickel-and-diming us to death," he said.
Every expense continues to rise, from groceries to utility bills, taxes to dog food, medical care and license plate fees, he said.
"You name something that hasn't gone up," he said. "It's stressful, when you sit back and watch your bills come in and think about what you make."
He retired in 1993 after working for more than 50 years. At the time he had several hundred thousand dollars saved in the bank, plus his pension. That's what has helped him hold on all these years.
"I don't know how people live on Social Security," Walker said.
He's also fortunate because he does not have a house payment to make, he said. He knows other seniors who have had to sell their homes or move in with their children.
But finances have not been easy for Walker, despite how well he planned. Every year he has to dip into his savings, and there is only about $90,000 left, he said.
"If I live to be 100, I'll be on welfare," he said.
Yuba City resident Joe Thordsen, 80, retired in 1992. This year was the first time in 18 years he did not receive an increase in his Social Security payment, and the house he bought six years ago has declined in value by $33,000, he said.
His pockets have felt the hit, and so he continues to pinch pennies anywhere he can. This means clipping coupons, searching out freebies and drinking water instead of coffee or other costly drinks when he goes out to eat.
"It gets a little tough, but we adjust as we go along," he said.
Thordsen knows how to live on a tight budget. As a child of the Great Depression, he remembers his parents standing in soup lines to get a hot meal.
That's the point many seniors are almost pushed into today, he said.
"They say it's a recession, but if you're not working, it's a depression," he said.
The battle between rising costs and fixed incomes has always existed but the current recession has exacerbated the problem, Tift said.
"We definitely need to be looking at all kinds of solutions," he said.
The standards released by UCLA and the Insight Center are a valuable tool that can be used in planning, advocacy and general education about the financial struggles seniors are facing.
"It's the first step in quantifying the issue," he said. "It puts it into real terms and numbers people can see and deal with."
Meanwhile, seniors get by however they can and combat the stress and depression caused by financial strain with inexpensive fun. For Walker and Thordsen, that means frequent billiards sessions with their buddies at the Yuba City Senior Center.
"We pay $33 a year, and we get to shoot pool all day long," Walker said
For more information contact Senior Solutions at (954) 456-8984 or toll free at 1-800-213-3524
No comments:
Post a Comment