County Lags in Help for Elderly

The image of senior citizens in Orange County bears the indelible stamp of the Leisure World communities, either the one in Seal Beach or the bigger, better-known community in Laguna Woods.

But for the grandparents of Generation X who do not live in enclaves of seniors with the support they provide and the infrastructure to serve their needs, life in Orange County can be difficult.

County government does have an Area Agency on Aging, part of the Community Services Department. It funnels more than $8 million in federal funds into a variety of programs, including helping seniors receive nutritious meals.

But the Area Agency on Aging has been without a director for nearly a year, its budget has been flat since the 1994 bankruptcy and the staff has been cut nearly in half.

It’s not as if there isn’t much to do for groups serving seniors.

The Feedback Foundation, funded through the county agency, provides meals for 6,000 elderly people across Orange County. Another organization, the Garden Grove-based Senior Meals and Services, says that in the northwest part of the county one-quarter of the elderly live at or below the poverty level, which is $8,350 a year.

Supervisor Chuck Smith said that before the county heeds the pleas of seniors for more funds for the agency on aging it needs to revitalize that agency and make sure its organization is shipshape. That’s a proper way to operate, but the county has to make sure it does not countenance further delays.

A recent study by Chapman University President James L. Doti predicted that senior citizens soon will be the largest age group in the county, accounting for nearly a quarter of the population by 2020.

Those 60 and older now make up about 14% of the county’s population. Doti said the expected increase in their numbers, to about 773,000 in 20 years, largely has gone unnoticed. A change in the mix of population will have an impact on the type of housing, medical care and other social services that will be needed.

County officials have urged senior citizens’ organizations to lobby Congress to keep federal funds coming. California receives $92 million as a result of one law passed decades ago and needing an extension. The money is distributed among 33 aging agencies in the state.

The county can better prepare for the future by improving its services for today’s seniors. This isn’t catering to “greedy geezers,” it’s providing needed care for those who deserve it.