Senior services in St. Louis region are a study in disparities
Oddly, even the storm door was locked.
"I wonder if he's OK," said
Hot tray of salsa-baked chicken in one hand, she knocked again with the other.
"Doug? You OK?"
Finally, the rumble of a long life lived at home came from inside.
"Come in and sit down for an hour," the retired insurance man told Wade and
The center, recently rededicated in the former mayor's name for helping open the facility 30 years ago, is one of several that the
While the nation's first baby boomers turn 70 this year, these counties are seeing particularly high growth in their elderly population. Many of the seniors want to stay in their homes as long as possible.
Not only does "aging in place," as the experts call it, help seniors remain independent, living at home is roughly a third of the cost of a nursing home.
And yet some officials say the region isn't doing enough to make this happen.
They point to communities in
Hot meals are quickly being replaced with frozen meals across the country, program officials said, due to insufficient government funding, donations and volunteer hours.
It's a familiar disparity in the
Things are working in
"My mom had
On the delivery route, Schuster and Wade didn't accept Glynn's joking invitation to sit down for an hour. They had more hot food to deliver and homebound people to visit.
Though brief, the visit still offered time to joke around with Glynn and hear him vent about a recent shooting in the area -- hence the locked storm door -- and his disapproval of President
He also spoke of Gladys, his wife of many decades, who died a few years ago.
"I still can't believe I can still feel her in my house," he said. "When I walk from the bathroom to the bedroom, I can feel footsteps behind me."
As they left, Glynn thanked Wade, 61, a retired sixth-grade teacher from the
Later that day, Glynn had a bad fall and broke his hip and leg in several places. Even then, his run at independence has been impressive.
Glynn, 96, has spent most of his retirement at home, living under his own roof. For several years of that, hot meals have been delivered to his door, courtesy of the vibrant senior center.
Going downhill
"We do not have the services in place that we need to have," she said of the growing number of seniors in the region.
She knows there are already seniors out there who could use help but aren't getting it.
"We are not marketing our services because we can't afford to have a big upswing in the number of people we serve," she said.
The days meals are offered have already been cut from seven to five. Most clients are now getting a stack of frozen meals delivered and a well-being visit just once a week.
The Older Americans Act, which created the national network of senior centers overseen by various
Communities and clients are expected to support the centers and meal programs through donations and service. Schaefer said federal funding has been flat, and state funding for all agency programs in
Many senior centers have closed or consolidated. In 1996, there were 27 centers in the city of
"It's gone downhill," said
But he said the issues with the city senior centers have more to do with changing demographics and declining interest in people using the centers. Unlike previous generations, he said most younger seniors -- age 60 to 73 -- have alternatives, especially women who didn't used to drive as much.
"Things change," he said. "There's entertainment out there that people can get to that wasn't available 25 years ago. Have you been to a casino lately?"
He said it's also tough to get volunteers to run programs and deliver meals five days a week, in all kinds of weather and locations. He said 77 percent of the home-delivered meals in the city are now frozen, similar to most surrounding counties.
But Schaefer, of Mid-East, strongly disagreed with Sykora's opinion about demand.
"You look at what's going on in
Getting out
It was morning in
"As long as I can move around, I want to go somewhere because these four walls are getting to me," said Dabney, who was a laundry supervisor at
Now that all
"I like going there, but we are used to having our own place," Dabney said.
She was one of five people picked up on the bus route north of
They settled into their seats, listening to light jazz, until bingo began. Dabney rolled the small cage and called out each random number, hoping it would help keep her friends amused and their minds sharp.
"Pack your suitcase, you are going," Dabney told the winner.
"I am ready," said
Bingo ended when the Pledge of Allegiance began. Time to eat lunch.
Everyone was given a barbecue pork riblet sandwich, a few healthful sides and a small carton of milk, the same kind as in middle school. The north
Needing volunteers
The agency is wrangling to open just one as a replacement for all of them.
"There are so many people struggling at all levels," said
He said the agency has checked with other kinds of community centers and "hit up every church around" as a possible partner. He said the outfits either couldn't meet safety specifications, didn't have a commercial kitchen or wanted too much for rent.
"We are hoping to find a church that will see it as a ministry to adults," he said.
Mid-East is in negotiations with the
Typically, hot meals are prepared at the senior centers. People over 60 who can make it to the center eat there; those who can't get meals delivered.
Schimweg said
"With this being a blighted area, it's difficult," he said. "We've always struggled getting volunteers from minority groups. The communities need to get more involved."
He said he's currently feeding about 300 clients in their homes, mainly with frozen meals.
Ritter has no income, nor family. Blind, he spends his days listening to the radio. He doesn't cook much anymore. He said the hot delivered food is his main meal of the day.
"I'd like to stay here," he said about his Bellefontaine Neighbors home. "I am used to it, and you don't have to be bothered."
He said he wouldn't go to a senior center because he's afraid of falling.
Coming together
A band rounded out its
A scattering of tables were occupied with volunteers and gray-haired clients. Others played pool; one man used an exercise machine in the gym, for which a doctor's note is required.
Giant checks commemorating donations from special events rested near the check-in. Since 2012,
"Our seniors, they have been through World War II,
"People like us, we get together and do these programs. We are one of the last bastions of the hot, home-delivered meal."
He lives in an apartment and still gets to the senior center on his own.
"I like the food. The people are friendly," Perotti said. "Then you get music every now and again. And it's close."
He ate nearly every bit of his salsa-baked chicken, Spanish rice, fiesta corn and fruit gelatin, the same meal that had been delivered to 150 people who are homebound in the area. Only a treat, gripped in his worn hand, remained.
"They give you two cookies," Perotti said.
So he'd be back. Besides, if he misses a day, people at the center take note. Upon his return, he said they ask if something happened, if everything is OK.
They have his back.
@jessebogan on Twitter
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