AUSTIN, Texas -- Algunas áreas de Texas ya se han acercado a temperaturas de tres dígitos este mes y existe la preocupación de que los adultos mayores puedan enfrentar un grave peligro si la red eléctrica se sobrepasa, como sucedió durante una tormenta de invierno en febrero.
Ya se le ha pedido a la gente que conserve energía esta primavera cuando la red de Texas estaba al borde de los apagones. La directora estatal de AARP Texas, Tina Tran, dice que el calor excesivo es un peligro importante para las personas médicamente vulnerables y algunas mayores de 65 años, especialmente si viven en casas antiguas. Ella recomienda algunas medidas de seguridad.
"Usar ropa adecuada," enfatiza Tran, "limitar sus actividades al aire libre, mantenerse hidratado, y cerrar las persianas para mantenerse lo suficientemente frescos para estar seguros."
Tran dice que las personas mayores, cualquier persona que tenga sobrepeso o esté enferma, e incluso los bebés y los niños pequeños, pueden ser propensos a sufrir agotamiento por calor o insolación.
Ella anima a la gente a conocer los signos de insolación y hacer todo lo necesario para mantenerse frescos en el interior, incluso si eso significa ir a centros públicos de refrigeración.
Tran también les recuerda a los tejanos más jóvenes que durante una ola de calor, es importante tomarse el tiempo para checar con nuestros vecinos, las personas mayores y cualquier persona con problemas médicos.
"Al leer algunas de las historias de personas que han sufrido, o incluso que desafortunadamente han fallecido debido al calor, a menudo es porque están racionando porque están preocupadas por las altas facturas que podrían recibir," dice Tran.
La semana pasada, el Consejo de Confiabilidad Energética de Texas, pidió a los residentes que ahorraran energía para evitar apagones continuos. Tran espera que se trate de una anomalía, pero admite que es preocupante. Para garantizar la confiabilidad, dice que cualquiera puede comunicarse con su proveedor de energía si está preocupado por cómo pagar las facturas.
"Ver si pueden ponerse en un plan, solo para asegurarse de que su electricidad no se corte, o que estén en una lista en caso de cortes continuos."
Este año, A-A-R-P trabajó con legisladores estatales para aprobar una legislación que apunta a fortalecer el registro de asistencia de emergencia conocido como STEAR. El cual es un registro gratuito que proporciona a los planificadores y socorristas de emergencias locales información sobre las necesidades de su comunidad. Los tejanos también pueden llamar al 2-1-1 para obtener información sobre los centros de enfriamiento o asistencia de emergencia.
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Advocates for people age 65 and older urged Colorado lawmakers to fully fund a program helping people remain in their homes and avoid placement in assisted living facilities.
Jayla Sanchez-Warren, director of the Area Agency on Aging for the Denver Regional Council of Governments, said home-based services cost under $2,000 dollars per year, on average, compared to $74,000 for nursing homes. Since most people cannot afford the nursing home charges, state and federal taxpayers have to pick up the bill after their savings are gone.
"It saves money for individuals, it saves money for the state, and it keeps people where they want to be; living in their own homes," Sanchez-Warren emphasized. "Someone who needs help with preparing meals and maybe showering should not have to go to a nursing home."
Sanchez-Warren noted adequately funding home-delivered meals, transportation, in-home assistance and similar services would cost the state $20 million. The number of people age 65 and older is projected to rise from 928,000 to 1.3 million by 2035, according to Colorado State Demography office data, outnumbering people 18 and under over the next three decades.
Federal support for community based services has dropped, and state-based funding is stuck at 2019 levels.
Sara Schueneman, state director of AARP Colorado, said demand has risen dramatically. Nearly eight in 10 Coloradans say they want to age in place in their communities.
"There is a growing population of older adults in the state of Colorado, and there is growing demand," Schueneman pointed out. "We are trying to support more people with less money because there is so much need."
Advocates urged lawmakers to increase funding by at least $5 million in the state's annual budget, and increase the amount year over year to ensure people can access services.
Sanchez-Warren added right now, their largest transportation provider has a 700 person waiting list. If someone needs to get to a doctor's appointment or a dialysis treatment, they have to wait at least two months for a ride.
"You can't get a home delivered meal right now," Sanchez-Warren stressed. "It used to be where you would come out of the hospital, and maybe your doctor said you should get home-delivered meals. And within a couple of days we could get you into a program and there would be a meal at your door. Not anymore, it's on a waiting list."
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Senior and older-adult groups are frustrated by cuts to services in New York's budget proposal. This includes cuts to home-care programs and the Long-Term Care Ombudsman program.
It comes a year after Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the state's Master Plan for Aging, a legislative framework to help New York seniors age in place.
Rebecca Preve, executive director of the Association on Aging in New York, feels this lack of funding undercuts the state's dedication to helping seniors. She described how service providers are dealing with already low funding.
"And what that means is, if you go to your locality to ask for a home-delivered meal or a personal care aide to assist you in your home, because of the funding issue, a lot of people are being placed on waiting lists for those services," Preve explained. "In the state, currently, we have about 18,000 service lines that are waitlisted."
She added that doesn't begin to capture the numbers of people at a crisis point who are reaching out to their local Office for the Aging. The pandemic increased service demands for local Offices for the Aging. But the difference now is, there aren't any federal stimulus dollars going out to fund these programs -- and yet the need for services remains.
According to Preve, if the state doesn't boost this funding, seniors will either leave the state or possibly die from a lack of necessary services.
Without proper caregiving services, this responsibility falls to family members. An AARP report shows family caregivers in New York provided $39 billion in unpaid care in 2021 -- a $7 billion increase from 2019.
Preve noted without a fully funded support system to help them, things just get harder for these caregivers.
"We know that working caregivers are missing time at work. They're either leaving the job market entirely for their caregiving duties, or they're cutting down the number of hours that they're able to work," she stressed. "We know that the mental-health impact on caregivers is incredibly significant."
Considering the ongoing challenge, Preve isn't certain what lies ahead. She noted some people rely on skilled nursing facilities or Medicaid instead of Office for the Aging services. But some might make too much to qualify for Medicaid, making them ineligible.
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It's International Women's Day, and AARP is highlighting the important role older women will play in this year's election.
The organization recently conducted a survey on the priorities of women voters age 50 and older in the 2024 election. The rising cost of living topped the list for this group, along with concerns about caregiving.
"Women have varied life experiences," said AARP Oregon state director Bandana Shrestha. "They're not a monolith, but there are certain things that really stand out - related to financial security, related to family caregiving. They also feel like their voices are not heard and that they want elected officials to really pay attention to the issues that matter to them most."
Women in this age group are split nearly evenly when it comes to a choice between Joe Biden and Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential race. However, among women age 50 to 64, 15% are undecided, making this a large group that could swing either way.
People age 50 and older comprised nearly 60% of voters in Oregon's 2022 election, with more than half of them women. Shrestha said that's important in the upcoming election.
"They're a large voting bloc," she said. "They care about the issues, they are caring for their loved ones and often, especially those women in the middle, they're a sandwich generation. They're caring for the younger loved ones but they're also caring for their parents. So they're juggling a lot."
Shrestha said politicians should take note of women age 50 and older.
"There is a lot of stuff that can be done through policymaking and through prioritizing what is important to the real people, and this is a great year to do that," she said. "Women's History Month and International Women's Day is a great day to lift up the voices of women, especially women 50-plus."
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