Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, June 28, 1995 TAG: 9506290035
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: ROBERT FREIS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Yet for many New River Valley residents - and older Americans in general - the "golden years" aren't that easy or simple.
For them, health concerns, isolation and various forms of abuse are a day-to-day companion.
To help, the Legal Aid Society of the New River Valley held the area's first Elder Law Seminar Monday at Christiansburg High School.
Increasing pressures have brought more clients to Legal Aid's doorstep. "We've noticed an increase in the numbers of elderly coming to us for assistance for a wide variety of problems," said Debbie Sifford, executive director.
Recent census records show the graying of our region's population. More than one in four of the New River Valley's permanent residents are age 55 or over.
Part of the increase is accounted for by comparatively well-off retirees who have moved here for our rural, small-town atmosphere enlivened by Virginia Tech and Radford University.
The native-born population is growing older, too, and more apt to feel the hardships created by rising medical care costs, dwindling health care benefits and economic hard times.
About 40 attended the seminar, many among them representatives of health care organizations that wanted to find out more about local services for the elderly. "We're lucky to have a lot of support programs in the New River Valley," Sifford said.
However, several speakers at the seminar repeated a disturbing message. A number of local programs have waiting lists and are unable to assist all eligible clients. "The need exceeds the resources," said Tina King, director of the New River Valley Area Agency on Aging.
Several speakers said the rising costs of medical care - prescription medicine in particular - are a persistent challenge for keeping the elderly healthy.
Many clients who seek help from the area's network of elder care organizations were once adequately covered by health benefits they earned during years of work. Now costs have increased so much that even homeowners or those with retirement benefits need help, King said.
Sometimes low-income citizens, who are statistically eligible for public assistance, fare better than people who are needy yet have a pension that disqualifies them.
"There are gaps in the system that shouldn't be there," acknowledged Linda Eaton of the Montgomery County Department of Social Services.
Families remain the primary care providers for the elderly, King said. But the responsibility can be overwhelming, particularly among relatives in working households who no longer live close by their elders.
Distance and isolation can lead to harmful neglect of the elderly, Eaton said. Reported cases of abuse involving elderly clients have shown a startling increase in recent years.
More attention is being given to the legal rights of older citizens, particularly those who are residents of nursing homes or assisted care facilities, said Etta Butler-Hopkins of the state's Department for the Aging.
Christiansburg Police Chief Ron Lemons told the gathering of his community's new cooperative program to protect older citizens.
In a town where more than one-third of the residents are above age 50, preventing criminal abuse of the elderly and increasing a sense of security is important, he said.
Seniors and Lawmen Together is developing a common strategy to address the needs of elderly citizens. Lemons said many older Christiansburg residents are more anxious about the unlikely chance they will be physically assaulted. Instead they should focus on the greater peril of being victimized by a telephone or door-to-door scam.
Several social service professionals said their goal is to help older residents to live in their homes for as long as possible, and to give them choices about alternative living arrangements if they need closer supervision.
Others said they can't be helpful if eligible citizens don't ask for assistance. "Often times senior citizens are not aware what help is available to them," Lemons said.
Sifford told of a low-income client who recently sought the Legal Aid Society's help. "She was married at 14. Then, 55 years later, she came to us wanting to file for a divorce. 'Why come now?' I asked her."
"I never liked him. He beat me up. But no one told me there was help out there," the woman replied.
Sifford also noted another irony: Despite growing client lists, many social service agencies will be waging financial struggles for life as governmental funding is reduced.
by CNB