Philadelphia consistently ranks among the largest U.S. cities with the highest percentage of older adults living in poverty. Every one of the more than 316,000 older Philadelphians deserves the right to age in their own community and have access to services and resources that support a healthy and active life. Older Philadelphians rely on crucial programs provided by Philadelphia Corporation for Aging (PCA) and our partners — such as home-delivered meals, health and wellness programs, information and referral, job placement, protective services, transportation, senior community centers, and senior companionship programming — to live independently. PCA’s more than 30 programs touch the lives of over 140,000 older adults each year.
Older Philadelphians have always played key roles in supporting our communities. They raised us, uplifted us, and fought for us. Ensuring older adults have the resources and services they need is essential. Unfortunately, despite the continuing impact of the pandemic on staffing and record inflation affecting costs, Pennsylvania’s recently passed budget did not include a direct funding increase for Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs), such as PCA, to provide these critical services. This funding oversight in the budget could lead to difficulties in providing services and resources to older adults. Fortunately, some Pennsylvania legislators are already working to address this. State Sen. Lisa M. Boscola recently announced a supplemental budget bill to correct this oversight and provide the necessary funding increase. It is vital that this supplemental funding is passed this Fall.
The supplemental funding bill to provide the necessary increase to PCA and all AAAs creates an opportunity for elected leaders and aging network partners to come together and protect these essential resources for older adults. These services are provided by PCA and Pennsylvania’s other AAAs with a large part of our funding coming from the Pennsylvania Lottery. The Governor and Pennsylvania’s Department of Aging requested a budget increase of $15.2 million in lottery funds to AAAs to support our vital programs and services for older adults. This would have been a 5 percent increase from last year and the first significant increase to the Aging Network in more than a decade. Unfortunately, this requested increase was not included in the final budget. Without this funding, AAAs across the Commonwealth now face substantial budget deficits.
The lack of funding, coupled with the ongoing increase in the number of older adults needing support, will force difficult decisions regarding who gets services. Without this budget increase, older Pennsylvanians will likely face waiting lists, reductions in, or terminations to services such as senior community centers, transportation, and home health care. What’s more, the failure to invest in these community-based services and supports will ultimately lead to more older adults needing nursing home care, resulting in higher costs to taxpayers and an outcome all older adults wish to avoid. Finally, the failure to provide these funds further impedes the ability to accomplish the goals and objectives of the Aging Our Way, PA plan to help ensure that older Pennsylvanians can remain within their communities in a way that aligns with their preferences and needs, promotes independence, fosters inclusivity, and provides adequate support systems for older adults, caregivers, and care partners. There is still time for legislators to come together and provide the funding older adults need and deserve during this budget cycle.
The Governor, state representatives, and state senators can reverse the path of cutting these services by passing a supplemental budget bill this month to transfer $15.2 million from the Lottery Fund to the Department of Aging. Lottery Funds are already dedicated to support services for older adults and therefore unrelated to ongoing legislative debates over managing the Commonwealth’s general fund surpluses. The members of the Philadelphia Delegation to the General Assembly have always fought for the needs of older residents of Philadelphia. We need your help now.
On behalf of older Philadelphians, their caregivers, and their families, we urge our legislators to work with their colleagues to introduce, pass, and send this critical supplemental funding bill to the Governor as soon as possible. Join us in reaching out to Pennsylvania legislators to ask for their support for our older adults: Find Your Legislator – PA General Assembly (state.pa.us).
Najja R. Orr, DBA, FCPP is the President and CEO of the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging.
