Seniors Feel State Budget Cuts

Budget cuts hurt programs for seniors. 86 year old Martha Westrope comes to Senior Action in Greenville three times a week. She says she started coming for the exercise but has found it provides so much more. This former psychologist says if it weren't for her friends here she would be at home lonely. Martha says, "It would indeed be terrible to not be able to come for all of us."

By: | News Channel 7
Published: February 16, 2009

86 year old Martha Westrope comes to Senior Action in Greenville three times a week. She says she started coming for the exercise but has found it provides so much more. This former psychologist says if it weren't for her friends here she would be at home lonely.

Martha says, "It would indeed be terrible to not be able to come for all of us."

Martha can't drive anymore and she's dependant on the senior action's transportation service to get her here. However, transportation and meals are services that may suffer now that the state of South Carolina is having to slash their budget.
Vicki Webb runs Senior Action of Greenville. She says, "We are facing right off the bat a 23 percent cut with the possibility of more cuts later."

She says they'll pool resources and get creative so hopefully they won't have to turn anyone away.

Webb says, "What we may have to do is instead of taking in new people we may have to put a freeze on new people coming in."

She says they'll cut their dining locations from eight down to five and try to find friends who can pick up seniors instead of depending on their service.

Webb says, "You know the tragedies are this is our senior population. These are our mothers and daddies and our grandparents and we really need to take care of this group of people. They have taken care of us all of our lives."

Many of the seniors at Senior Action have no one at home looking after them and this is the only interaction they get with other people. According to Webb, it would be a tragedy for these folks to be left alone and helpless.
As for Martha she says being able to come to the center brings happiness into her life.
Martha says, "I am a better person for having come here and it has certainly changed my outlook on life from being more cutoff from people. This way I am included. A hug is frequent here.

That's something seniors should not have to live without. At Senior Action they say they are applying for grants to try and make up the money as well as hosting fundraisers.
Lt. Governor Andre Bauer will be here in may to sit down with Senior Action and agencies like theirs to brain storm about ways to keep programs afloat.