By Kate Miller, Record Managing Editor
The population of older adults is rising while the programs meant to serve them are operating leaner or being dismantled.Recently, there was talk about cuts to Meals on Wheels programs in the proposed federal budget. Locally, Meals on Wheels is provided by the senior center. It is a service provided by the Northeast Missouri Area Agency on Aging.The Warren County Senior Center, located at 501 Ashland Ave. in Warrenton, serves about 25,000 meals at the Warren County Senior Center which are delivered by volunteers to home-bound senior citizens each year.“We’re facing those cuts all the time,” Lindsey Polston, executive director. “Funding continues to decline and it’s getting harder to keep the program going.”She said funding comes from donations, clients who contribute money for their meals — at less than cost — and from the state.When the federal government cuts its budget, she said, it affects the state’s budget and that could create cuts for programs that benefit older adults, such as Meals on Wheels.The organization is boosting its fundraising efforts. They also have a voice in Jefferson City in the Silver Haired Legislature. The Silver Haired Legislature works in coordination with Missouri’s 10 Area Agencies on Aging and the Department of Health and Senior Services.The group’s mission is to advocate on behalf of Missouri’s senior citizens.Walt Bittle of Warrenton is president of Missouri’s Silver Haired Legislature.“With inflation and everything else, we (senior citizens) are just barely keeping our heads above water,” Bittle said. “The need is going up and funding is going down.”The the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports that senior citizens represent 14.5 percent of the U.S. population and are expected to grow to 21.7 percent by 2040.The 2010 U.S. Census shows a 13 percent senior citizen population in Warren County. In 2015, it grew to 14.9 percent. It was the only age group that showed an increase.Each year the 150-person Silver Haired Legislature meets in Jefferson City to determine its advocacy priorities for the year.For the 2017 session, they determined these five issues:• Encourage growth of senior services.• Increase funding for meals provided by Area Agencies on Aging.• Expand Medicaid.• Provide financial assistance to seniors for medically necessary hearing, vision and dental services,• Reauthorize funding for the MoRx program.What has grabbed their attention is Missouri Senate Bill 192, which would establish the “Senior Services Growth and Development Program.”Ultimately, it would allow the Department of Health and Senior Services to provide additional funding to the area agencies on aging for senior services. The money would come from a 5 percent share of an existing tax paid by certain insurance companies.Bittle said funding for Meals on Wheels is especially important because the service provides affordable nutrition to people who have limited mobility. It keeps people in their homes longer, which is where they want to be, and it is less expensive than senior living communities. An added benefit is for people who live alone and have no one else to check in on them. Meals on Wheels delivery people provide that daily safety check.Bittle said people 60 and older are working with the Silver Haired Legislature.“It’s heartwarming to see people in wheelchairs and on crutches still with us and working their hearts out,” he said, adding that whatever progress they make is not just for themselves but for the younger people who will someday be older adults.His goal as president of the Silver Haired Legislature is to advocate for a steady, reliable revenue source for senior services that people can count on. He’d also like to see more people recognize the work that older adults do in communities.“Seniors are an invaluable asset, not a liability,” he said. “Without the thousands of hours of in-kind services, many volunteer organizations could not function.”Polston said to raise money, the Warren County Senior Center will apply for grants and hosting more events, like the Senior Expo in October.Walt Bittle, of Warrenotn, is president of the Missouri Silver Haired Legislature. The group communicates with state lawmakers to ensure they know the needs of older citizens. Record photo/ Kate Miller.
