Advocates for Wisconsin seniors are speaking out about how federal policies are affecting the pressing issues in their communities – and they're joining arms to work to address them.
Community members and leaders say older people are grappling with challenges from isolation and mental health, to cost-of-living concerns and food and housing insecurity.
Pastor of Trinity Church in Bloomfield, Jeremiah Gómez, said federal changes to social safety nets like Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security are also top of mind – especially in rural Wisconsin, where he said the three programs often come together to create a sense of security for older adults.
"Because those things may be looking different, there's an anxiety there about 'what does that mean,'" said Gómez, "and how are people going to not just thrive, but how are they going to make it if there are changes to those things?"
Gómez said community organizers are working on a senior agenda to push for policies that provide older Wisconsinites with agency and dignity in aging.
He said the goal is to have regular community gatherings – like the recent inaugural Wisconsin Senior Summit that brought together allies from ten counties across the state.
Advocating for county-owned nursing homes is a top priority for Eileen Guthrie, the volunteer who helped organize the Senior Summit.
She said profit motives, care standards, and efficiency requirements in corporate-owned facilities can result in lower-quality care compared to county-owned facilities.
Guthrie said despite relatively recent Medicaid reimbursement increases for residents, many county boards focus on the taxpayer costs of maintaining nursing homes rather than recognizing the ways communities can support them.
'And I think that's important," said Guthrie, "because we all know that if we stay with the way we did it for years and decades, our environment has changed and there are things that can be done better and maybe not as costly."
Guthrie said she wants to see a modernized approach to county finances to keep county-owned nursing homes alive. She emphasized that seniors deserve to live with respect and representation.
"It's a scary time for seniors, and we can work to make sure that they don't live in uncertainty anymore than they have to," said Guthrie. "It's going to take all of us to give us some dignity, some hope, some legitimacy to make all of our lives less scary."
