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Study:
Elderly Lack Resources AARP
Survey Finds Aging Population Faces Limitations to Living Independently By Joel Eskovitz, Fort Pierce Tribune May
5, 2003 Florida
- Sue Saubert has reached a level of competence and confidence with her
disability, leaning on family and others in her community facing similar
problems to push her to get around. The 56-year-old Vero Beach resident has relied on a scooter to help her move since developing a disease called lymphedema in her legs following cancer surgery in the spring of 1998. She can drive short distances and can't walk much more than the length of a football field, and that's only if she wraps her legs in the equivalent of an Ace bandage to prevent them from swelling. Yet she knows even this limited level of independence and mobility she consistently strives for could be temporary. Her daughter is headed to college and she and her husband are not getting any younger. "It's a very tough situation as far as finding services and finding someone who can help you," Saubert said. "I don't know what's going to happen in a few years when I have difficulty getting places and I don't have anyone here to help me. It's not that far away." A released AARP study shows Saubert is not alone in her predicament. It details disabled Americans older than age 50 struggling to live independently with limited financial resources and access to care and transportation. Almost half of those surveyed say they receive assistance doing some type of daily activity, and almost a quarter of those surveyed need more help than they are receiving now. The study has even starker ramifications for Florida, which will see a greater influx of seniors as the baby boomers age. "There absolutely will not be enough services out there," Saubert said. "The system has not kept up with the amount of elderly and the amount of disabled that there are. It is unbelievable the amount of people who need help and don't get it." The St. Lucie County Council on Aging -- which aids those older than 60 -- said it has a waiting list of several months for those seeking in-home care, and that number dramatically escalates to a year or two for those between 50 and 60 who have less access to community care. Kelly Gartley, the agency's consumer service specialist, said the problem is not just endemic to St. Lucie County, but all along the Treasure Coast. "The funding sources are not enough to support the needs of the community," she said. Money is certainly an underlying theme to many of the problems facing the elderly disabled, such as: • The ability to find affordable housing. Cheryl Bass, director of the Martin County Community Service Department, said a dearth of affordable housing is the "biggest barrier" for the elderly, a comment that was echoed throughout the coast. • Fewer doctors accepting Medicare and Medicaid patients, forcing many to travel great distances for care. Saubert said her 80-mile round trip journey to Melbourne from Vero Beach still is manageable as long as she can use cruise control on her car. • Public transportation still is lacking, with Martin and St. Lucie County's Community Coach running from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays only. • The high cost of prescription drugs. Saubert said she had to pay upward of $2,600 last year for seven different medications she takes. Other problems stem from physical accessibility in public. Ruth Lamb, an assistant at a Stuart law firm, said she has noticed a shortage of sidewalks and ramps as she tries to navigate the area in her scooter. "Some of the stores don't have ramps," she said. "And I have to lift myself up and get up on the sidewalk . . . It's not easy." Lynne Schicker, program administrator for Advocates for the Rights of the Challenge of Martin County, said if the AARP study does not serve as a warning to local and state governments, a growing elderly population would. The baby boomer population, she said, will demand more services in order to live a more independent life. "They'll be the ones with the influence to do it," Schicker
said. "I can imagine they are going to have a big impact on what
happens soon." Copyright
© 2002 Global Action on Aging |
