Why are Seniors forced to food banks?

Question

ISeniors Minister feels single women receiving$19000.living in poverty.I know many senior living on much less,including myself. golden years What a farce

Answer 1

$19,000 gross per annum IS poverty!...given the costs of rental housing [if one does not own]; the rising costs of utilities, gasoline and food, not to mention medical costs inclusive of prescriptions. You do the math! MANY seniors fall into a hole between being eligible for low income services and being able to afford those things.

Yes, many live on less...but is it living or bare survival? Food banks provide a much needed service.

Not to mention many also cannot move...need to live near family or other support systems and are truly caught between a rock and a hard place.

BTW - depending on where you live, senior housing which gives affordable alternatives can be a 5-8 yr wait! In the DC area it can be even longer as there is a greater need than the inventory can support.

AFFORDABLE rents here means $800-900 month for the smallest place with utilities extra.

SO where does one live on a very low income?

Food stamps provide some respite...but they can be as low as $30 month.

Medicare Part B costs money...Part D prescription coverage costs money. Those costs have to be factored in as an expense against the net earnings. If one lives alone the only way to save more money would be to do without a phone; do without a TV [and one must have cable here to even get a signal]; do without the PC [which gives many of us access to the outside world] and subsist on Ramen Noodles [which yes, I have eaten when there is nothing else] but given our medical needs such as Diabetes II, hypertension, high cholesterol and whatever else, good substantive and healthy food is a must....

Old age should NOT be just about subsistence but about some level of quality of living. Many of us are not married; do not own property, still have to work to make ends meet and worry about what happens when the day comes when we can no longer work or make the ends meet. Social and human services are great...but as a professional in the field for over 30 years, I can tell you they are not the solution to the overall problem and just plug the hole in the overflowing dam.

Answer 2

They treat the elders better in Britain. They aren't taxed. Makes me want to cry. Worked hard all their lives to struggle? They deserve so much. No taxes, free bus, BIG discounts on prescriptions because its so expensive. They do without food so they can buy their medicine. The powers that be have lots of money and pension for life if they get elected. What about the people that voted for them? Why isn't the government doing anything?

Answer 3

I receive far less than that. There are many services that can help, it is up to the indivual to seek them out.. In previous times, children did help their parents out financially, this does not seem to happen any more. My grandparents lived with us. Perhaps our children are out chasing their dream and it costs more to live than it did in earler generations. I personally am grateful for everything that I have, It is a struggle, but I am OK. Social services were designed to help you, so use them. It is not a "sin" to use food banks, think of the alternative!
There is housing for low income, 25% of total income is used for housing, no matter what your income is. There are ways, you have to take the initiave to look for them Instead of complaining about the situation, look at ways to SOLVE it. It might include part time work, which is actually good for you to socialize with others, earn a little extra money and keep learning something new. Your happiness depends on your state of mind, you can choose to complain or you can choose to be happy and solve the problem. You might have to lower your expectations too.

Answer 4

I know it scares the heck out of me. I honestly don't know what they expect people to do. Maybe it's different in some areas but I've known people who have worked for years and left making maybe 10 bucks an hour. That doesn't put jack away in SS and not enough to even "save" for retirement when they've been trying to raise a family and meet basic needs. The idea of pensions and such is for a select few. That is if it's even there when they promised it. Around here we have alot of elderly who full out own their home but they are constantly raising taxes and literally taxing them out of them. I know in this past year my utilities have doubled because they lifted a freeze and are socking it big time to people. There isn't an option for alot of it and no means to "cut back" anymore outside of laying down and dying. Now I've read that Dr's are opting out of accepting medicare and where do you go then? I just feel many are caught in an impossible bind. I hope they get more vocal as to where to go help in the future because it's a secret to many. Heck.....there's kids living at home because they don't make enough money to rent their own place.....I don't hold much hope of my kids being able to financially help me at all.

Answer 5

$19000 is not much money for a yearly income especially if you have a housepayment and any other bills besides living expenses. I am not yet retired, but I am wondering how I will make it on my retirement with the high cost of property taxes, house & car insurance,license plates,gas for your vehicle, medical insurance, prescriptions, utilities, food, etc. No, these are definitely not going to be golden years.Why doesn't someone give our country some financial aid like we so eagerly and willingly give to others?

Answer 6

we are 2 seniors who live on a joint income only in the low 20's,and we haven't had to hit a food bank yet. We live very simply, we eat out about once a week in a nice inexpensive restaurant, we keep our heat at 63 day and night and bundle up,we have 1 car,1 cell phone,and pay our taxes on the house we've owned for 40 yrs. we don't go on trips, spend very little on new clothes and manage quite well.

Answer 7

Nineteen thousand?
That is about 5K MORE than we (2) live with/on...

Our home (1K sq ft) is paid for, in a location (temperate climate) that costs us zero in property taxes; our 2 vehicles are paid for, and we carry minimum insurance on all . . . we do not have health insurance - and we plan to deal with the realities of declining health as they occur (we take no prescription drugs, and don't plan to). We feel that we are truly fortunate, in these, our 'golden years'!!! Looking forward to fading into the sunset -

Guess it depends on what your standard of living is, and has been, thru your younger years?

I am a believer that our government does NOT DO enuf for it's older population. . .but, our particular government seems to not be focused on empathic social issues - just on how many taxpayers are earning taxable incomes...to keep the influx of dollars flowing in, to cover "big boy toy" expenditures (like army planes, etc)...

Food banks? Help for those who help themselves - to whatever is available and offered........

Answer 8

Seniors are not forced to
frequent Food Banks. We just
go there because we can keep
up on the news that never
hits the papers,...and speak
with our friends who live
under the bridges.

Answer 9

i agree what a farce,but me and the old man live on far less than that,and i have never been to a food bank.i have seen many days when all we had to eat was those gosh awful ramen noodles but we survived and never used such services.my husband has to much pride and would rather starve than go to one.

Answer 10

The ``golden years are made of brass.`` If you weren`t lucky enough to work in a union shop, there`s no additional pension, I guess we`re supposed to curl up and die just to save the social security system. HA>