How Useful Programs Can Wind Up Wasted

The Times on Sept. 23 included an excellent editorial, “At Last, Help for the Elderly,” calling attention to demographic trends in the county. In the same edition, an article, “Getting Seniors Up and About” by David Reyes, included this quotation from Seniors Outreach Center spokeswoman Betsy Crimi: “You can have the best services in all the world, but if you can’t get to them, they don’t mean anything.”

Earlier in the article you wrote that “for years, programs have been insufficient or focused on those with disabilities, and have failed to keep up with the needs of the elderly, the fastest-growing segment of the county’s population, officials said.” Since aging correlates with disability, disability-friendliness must increasingly serve as a measure of quality of life for county residents.

Art Blaser

Orange