Memo to Congress:

Our troubled economy and skyrocketing energy prices are hurting some of our nation’s most vulnerable – our senior citizens.            

Seniors on fixed incomes have seen their savings and the value of their homes diminished. Many depend on programs that provide home-delivered hot meals or meals at senior centers as well as transportation to medical appointments and social activities.

 One example: The San Francisco Chronicle reported that drivers with the Alameda County Meals on Wheels program cover 1,600 miles a day delivering 2,200 meals to homebound seniors -- two-thirds of them 75 and older.  

Executive Director Cindy Houts said: “Our programs are just reeling from the double whammy of increased fuel and food costs. It’s happening throughout the county and throughout the country.”

Locally, Meals on Wheels told KPBS that it has lost 30% of its drivers since the first of the year.  This means fewer drivers must deliver to more homes (about 1,500 a week in San Diego).  

These costs will be magnified further in the face of a population that is growing older and will need even more of these services.

Senior citizens on fixed incomes may increasingly become victims in this economy as they skimp on medication and medical care, scale down their daily nutrition due to rising grocery prices, and find themselves isolated at home because of rising gas prices and transit programs that are curtailed.

These factors can trigger depression and other medical problems that will cost our economy even more in terms of increased costs for medical treatment and early institutionalization of seniors who rely on these programs to maintain their independence. For America’s seniors in this economy, the “golden” years are in jeopardy and many will suffer in silence.  

Cc:  John McCain

       Barack Obama