Interviewing Mr. and Mrs. Rivera was an experience.  They speak mostly Spanish - very little English - so our time together was conducted in a jumble of languages!  They are gracious and kind and you can't help but want to just sit at their feet and listen to their stories.  It truly was one of those experiences that made you laugh and cry, sometimes at the same time!   Accompanied by their home health aide and case manager - the two people that have probably saved their lives - I learned how they met, how they miss their children that live far away, and how difficult things were before they started receiving services.

Two years ago they had no health insurance and were using emergency rooms to treat their many medical issues - diabetes, arthritis, heart disease, obesity, among others.  Stymied by a confusing system and language barriers they could not access the services they needed.  At their most difficult moment they could afford very little food and were sharing needles to administer insulin.  

Today, they are doing much better.  Their bilingual case manager has helped them navigate the health care system and access benefits and entitlements.  They now have access to medical supplies for their diabetes, prescribed medications, meals-on-wheels, and food stamps.  While this is a vast improvement, they still have difficulties affording food - their food stamps, about $115, lasts only half the month - and they have to pay for over the counter medications and supplies.  They are certainly grateful to have been pulled from the edge, but as you can see one event could send them back over.  Especially if something happened to their services. 

Support the Older Americans Act and keep these life saving services in place for people like Mr. and Mrs. Rivera.