Like Massachusetts as a whole, Harvard has an aging population. And Council on Aging Director Debbie Thompson is hearing from Harvard elders who are worried about the impact of federal budget cuts and reorganization. “I’ve had people coming in crying or losing sleep, worried about their Social Security,” Thompson said. And the long waits on Social Security phone lines make it hard for people to get answers about their concerns.
Asked about impacts on the COA’s own programs, Thompson said, “It hasn’t come down to this level yet.” But she noted the state’s Executive Office of Aging and Independence says Massachusetts is at risk of losing $39 million in federal funds, which in turn help to support local programs.
In terms of the number of people served statewide, the largest program at risk is the one that provides food for seniors, either in a group setting or delivered to homes through meals-on-wheels. The state estimates the cuts would mean 931,000 fewer meals delivered to older adults in their homes and 325,000 fewer meals served in group settings like the COA.
Thompson said eight people in Harvard who are homebound currently receive meals-on-wheels, with twice-weekly deliveries of a main meal plus milk, bread, and fruit. That adds up to about 800 meals per year. Another 18 to 25 people come to the congregate meals at the Harvard Senior Center on Tuesdays and Thursdays—perhaps 2,000 meals per year.
Thompson was shocked by one particular statistic from a recent Massachusetts survey of people who receive meals-on-wheels. Nearly one-third of the recipients said the driver who brought that midday meal was the only person they saw all week. So cuts to meals-on-wheels would compound the problem of isolation as well as hunger among seniors, Thompson said.
Thompson also expressed concerns about several other COA programs that budget cuts could affect. One was SHINE (Serving Health Insurance Needs of Everyone), which provides free medical insurance information to people who are eligible for Medicare. Another was care for people returning to their homes after hospitalization. She noted it is already difficult to find people to do home care work, and there can be up to a six-week waiting period.
In Harvard, the food both for meals-on-wheels and for lunch at the senior center comes from Minuteman Senior Services in Burlington. Minuteman contracts with a catering service for the prepared food that is sent to the senior center. Then volunteers in the kitchen package up the meals-on-wheels for delivery, and volunteer drivers deliver them.
“Volunteers will become more vital through the next four years,” Kelly Magee Wright, the executive director of Minuteman, said in a phone interview. She said volunteers will be needed to “fill in the gap” as Minuteman and similar services try to meet “greater needs with fewer resources.”
Minuteman also coordinates some home care through contracts with agencies for in-home health aides and personal care assistants. Wright noted that immigration policies will affect the agencies’ ability to find people for those jobs.
Wright said the best Minuteman could expect for the coming year was level funding over last year, but even that was not guaranteed. “I wish I could tell you I have a lot of clarity,” she said, “but I don’t. … To say there is uncertainty is an understatement.”
