Dear Editor:
This May marks our country’s 51st Annual Older Americans Month. As a nation, we have committed to commemorate our seniors for the great contributions they have made to our communities, and to raise awareness about the challenges millions of them are facing.
May is also a month that Congress debates funding for federal programs which include those vital programs that support our seniors and are contained within the Older Americans Act. These include programs like Meals on Wheels that deliver meals to the home or to places where seniors gather together to dine, socialize and receive nutrition education and/or other preventative health services.
This month, we ask that older adults, their families, and all members of the community join us by contacting your U.S. Representatives and Senators. Please tell them to fund the Older Americans Act at the highest levels possible so that our community can continue to deliver nutritious meals to the rapidly growing numbers of seniors in need.
In doing so, you will enable our elder neighbors to live longer and more independently in their own homes and save every American taxpayer from having to pay higher healthcare costs. Research shows that failing to do so will saddle the country and our children with billions of dollars in unnecessary spending as investing just $1 in Meals on Wheels could save us all up to $50 in Medicaid costs alone.
It’s not just the right thing to do, it’s common sense.
Sincerely,
John Wyman
Executive Director
Greenbrier County Committee on Aging