Don’t leave seniors standing at the curbside

In an economic downturn that shows no sign of hitting bottom, some say that Americans must simply adapt to a lower standard of living. The boon times are over, they say – get used to it.

If that’s true, it would be a shame if the first to be tossed under the bus – or more precisely, to be left standing at the curb, waiting for a bus that never comes – are the most vulnerable among us, including seniors living on fixed incomes.

Elsewhere on these pages, you’ll find several letters to the editor (one signed by no fewer than 40 Orcas residents) lamenting possible cuts by San Juan County to its senior services support. Among the programs facing elimination is a volunteer-driven van service that transports ailing seniors to medical facilities on the mainland. The cuts are being considered by the County Council in response to waning tax revenues and the attendant fiscal challenges.

We share the seniors’ concern; keep the vans running!

Jan Koltun-Titus, former senior services coordinator for the Orcas Senior Center, says the cuts would affect as many as 70 local seniors who rely on the pool of vans for access to health care and other services.

Some may only the use the service once a year, but it represents an invaluable resource for all. As senior center administrators note, it costs about $2,000 per year to maintain a private automobile – a luxury beyond the means of many living on fixed incomes in their later years. Yet they still must get around, and they count on others for mobility.

Should the vans be eliminated, are there alternatives? The popular Hearts and Hands program, which is moving into the senior center the first of the year, could conceivably take over the transportation service – but it’s a stretch. H&H volunteers primarily run local errands for the frail elderly and help out in their homes, doing the dishes or other helpful tasks. Taking over transportation to the mainland, with all the time and expense that entails, would likely stretch those volunteers beyond their limits.

To their credit, county officials are also looking at cutbacks to their own staffing, including various staff assistants and coordinators; that’s a good move, as those positions are unlikely to be missed outside of the county corridors. Cutting social services, by contrast, is false economy; real lives in our community would be hurt in ways that won’t show up on the county ledgers.

Late last week, their budget work leavened by an unexpectedly good revenue report, county officials agreed to reconsider some of the proposed cuts, including the $25,000 for senior transportation. (Also back on the table is $15,000 for a juvenile probation officer, another cut that ought to be foregone.) Another public hearing is planned for Dec. 2, and Orcas seniors and those who support them should make their voices heard.

With declining revenues in an economic downturn, San Juan County has no choice but to prune its budget and focus on basic services. Fair enough. But ensuring that our most vulnerable citizens can get to the doctor seems about as basic as it gets.