Retirees Get What They Planned for

* It’s about time that facts replaced fiction in regard to the “poverty level” of senior citizens (Op-Ed, Oct. 15). Jennifer Openshaw stated that a “staggering 63% of Orange County households headed by an individual 65 or older survive on annual incomes of less than $35,000,” implying that that is the poverty level in Orange County. That is fiction! The facts are vastly different.

For example, my 84-year-old mother lives comfortably in a retirement hotel for active seniors. Assuming $250 a month for extras, her yearly cost of living is $19,200. She and my father planned ahead. If she shared a room, the charge would drop to $750 a month, and, if necessary, she could keep her extras to $150 or less. That would be $10,800 annually, or less.

For those, especially couples, who prefer living on their own, one-bedroom apartments can be rented for $650 a month, and food for two would cost about $450. Adding in extras of $400 a month, a couple could live for $18,000 annually. If they have nothing “left over to enjoy retirement,” that is the choice they made and not the problem of public leaders and public funds.

Yes, the baby boomers are tomorrow’s senior citizens, and they had better plan. If they don’t, they too will join the “staggering” group of those “just getting by.” That is what they planned; that is what they get.

ARLENE MANEMANN

Tustin