Nina G. of Seattle was forced to retire from nursing at age 73.  While she had saved about $100,000, she lived 15 more years and ended up needing 24-hour care.  She ran out of money and had a very hard time finding assistance.  Nina and her family turned to Senior Services for help with transportation to medical appointments and caregiving resources.

But these programs, which are funded by the Older Americans Act, on are on the chopping block despite the millions of seniors who rely on them.  As the Budget Deficit Supercommittee discusses how to reduce the deficit and cut spending, even programs like Social Security, Medicare, and the Older Americans Act are facing serious cuts.

Jim Firman, President and CEO of the National Council on Aging, recently said in an interview, “There is no champion for older adults in the halls of Congress today.”  Refering back to a time when the aging field had a singular defender in the form of Senator Claude Pepper, Firman made a prediction that the changing political landscape will require much more from each of us individually.

Instead of one giant microphone, we have thousands of individual elder voices clamoring to be heard.  Senior Services has stepped up to this challenge by showing its support for the Older Americans Act on the national stage.  We are putting microphones in the hands of the seniors and families who use our programs so that they can tell their own stories.

This collection of voices can ring just as loudly as Claude Pepper’s used to boom.  Join the Conversation and chime in with your voice by sending a Congress message.  Become your own champion for a society that we all want to grow older in.