Article Summary –
Advocates for Wisconsin seniors are addressing challenges like isolation, mental health, and economic concerns, with a focus on federal policy changes affecting social safety nets such as Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security. Community leaders, including Pastor Jeremiah Gómez, emphasize the need for policies that support dignity and agency for older adults, organizing events like the Wisconsin Senior Summit to unite allies and discuss solutions. Eileen Guthrie highlights the importance of county-owned nursing homes, advocating for modern approaches to county finances and emphasizing that seniors deserve respect and representation to alleviate the uncertainty they face.
Advocates for Wisconsin’s senior citizens are raising concerns about federal policy impacts on their communities. They’ve united to address these issues.
Community leaders highlight challenges faced by seniors, including isolation, mental health, cost-of-living, and food and housing insecurity.
Jeremiah Gómez, pastor at Trinity Church in Bloomfield, emphasized that changes to social safety nets such as Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security raise significant concerns, particularly in rural Wisconsin, where these programs provide security for older residents.
“There’s anxiety about what changes mean,” Gómez noted. “How will seniors thrive or even manage with these changes?”
Gómez explained that community organizers are crafting a senior agenda to advocate for policies that ensure agency and dignity in aging for Wisconsin’s seniors.
He mentioned the aim to hold regular community meetings, like the recent Wisconsin Senior Summit, which brought together advocates from across 10 counties.
Eileen Guthrie, a key organizer of the Senior Summit, prioritizes advocacy for county-owned nursing homes.
Guthrie argues that corporate facilities often provide lower-quality care due to profit motives, care standards, and efficiency demands, compared to county-owned homes.
Despite some Medicaid reimbursement hikes, Guthrie says many county boards focus on taxpayer costs instead of how communities can support these facilities.
“We must adapt because our environment has changed,” Guthrie stressed. “Things can be done better and maybe less expensively.”
Guthrie advocates modernizing county finances to sustain county-owned nursing homes, underscoring seniors’ rights to respect and representation.
“It’s scary for seniors now, and we need to reduce their uncertainty,” Guthrie emphasized. “Together, we can provide dignity, hope, and legitimacy to make life less frightening.”
This story was originally published by Public News Service.
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