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Senator LeAnna M. Washington (D-Philadelphia, Montgomery) In my role as Minority Chair of the Senate Aging & Youth committee, I have issued an urgent call to policymakers at all levels of state government to heed the concerns of senior advocates about the plight of our aging population in Pennsylvania. This is in response to issues raised during a hearing before the Senate Aging & Youth committee held in Philadelphia last week. Senior advocates were very clear about the problems they see now and how these problems will be exacerbated if we do not begin to address these issues now. It is clear that the financing of long term care will rely greatly on Medicaid, but we also have to realize that we are facing budget constraints at both the state and federal level. We need to figure out now how we are going to meet their needs when resources are dwindling. Another issue impacting seniors is transportation. As the population ages, there is going to be a greater need for reliable, accessible transportation, especially into rural areas. Senior advocates told the committee that many seniors are having problems with the Shared Ride transportation system as well as the Medical Assistance Transportation Program (MATP). Some clients using the MATP said they have been stranded for up to six hours by a provider. This is unacceptable, we can do better. A report on Philadelphia's aging population noted that by year 2035, the population of people over 65 would double what it is today. People hear a lot about the impending explosion of the over 65 year age group, but we hear less about the 'older, older' segment of the population which is the fastest-growing population group in Pennsylvania: those aged 85 and over. The 'older, older' population increase in Pennsylvania means we need to begin to plan now how we are going to care for them and how we are going to pay for the services they will need, particularly in terms of long-term care. The committee also learned that one of the most important legal issue facing seniors today is housing and shelter. They (the advocates) told us that homelessness is an imminent reality for many of the community's low-income seniors. Too many seniors are having problems accessing services in general. I think we (committee members) were surprised to learn that many seniors are still having trouble navigating the health care system. The committee would continue to collect information from seniors and senior advocacy groups. I plan to take recommendations from the groups and develop a legislative package to be introduced next year. CapNews Guest Speaker: Archives |
