Hands to Help Seniors

View From A Non-Profit Serving Carmel, Carmel Valley, Gonzalez, Greenfield, King City, Marina, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Pebble Beach, Salinas, Seaside And Soledad California

I was glad to read in the latest AARP The Magazine that the American Association of Retired Persons is lobbying heavily to get Congress to reauthorize the Older Americans Act.  This funds important programs such as Meals on Wheels, and without it many seniors would be in dire straights.  Reauthorization is now two years overdue and it's already been approved by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.  Unfortunately, many Senators have tried to introduce various amendments to the bill and it's taking much too long to get it passed.  It's still not clear that it could pass before the end of 2014.  "We continue to work with other aging advocates to discourage controversial amendments and urge a simple reauthorization of this important legislation to help vulnerable seniors," David Certner, legislative policy director for AARP, told the magazine.  I think it is ridiculous how long legislation now takes to pass as the two parties battle amongst party lines on issues that are so important to senior citizens.

Please note that this blog reflects my personal opinion and may or may not reflect the opinion of Hands To Help Seniors and the individual members comprising the Board of Governors.

Comments (0)     

View From A Non-Profit Serving Carmel, Carmel Valley, Gonzalez, Greenfield, King City, Marina, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Pebble Beach, Salinas, Seaside And Soledad California

President Lyndon B. Johnson declared a war on poverty 50 years ago but if he were alive today he would be disappointed to see how many low income American's are trying to survive today.  Since Johnson began the New Deal, the poverty rate in this country has dropped only 4 percentage points, from 19% in 1954 to 15% today.  The Federal government says there are 45 million Americans who live in households where their income is scarcely adequate.  Although there have been great gains in the economy here, most of the wealth has filtered to our nation's richest.  President Barack Obama has called this inequality the defining challenge of our time.  Unfortunately, the Republican party is trying to dramatically cut food stamps and unemployment insurance, so these numbers could get larger in the future.

Please note that this blog reflects my personal opinion and may or may not reflect the opinion of Hands To Help Seniors and the individual members comprising the Board of Governors.

Comments (0)     

View From A Nonprofit Serving Seniors In Carmel, Carmel Valley, Gonzalez, Greenfield, King City, Marina, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Pebble Beach, Salinas, Seaside And Soledad California

It was great to read in AARP The Magazine that their partnership with NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon, called the Drive to End Hunger, has raised enough money to buy 27 million meals for senior citizens.  They've also helped more than 33,000 seniors sign up for SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps).  Sadly, 9 million Americans over the age of 50 don't always know where their next meal will come from, according to a report from the AARP Foundation.  In addition to directly helping seniors, the AARP Foundation has distributed $2 million in what it calls Hunger Innovation grants.  I thank the AARP for their great work.

About Richard Kuehn and Hands to Help Seniors:

After more than a decade of caregiving, both in a professional environment and for a 97 year old family member, it became clear to me that there are many seniors that can't afford to pay for a private duty caregiver, not to mention medical expenses, food and property taxes on their home.  I decided to form a non-profit to help seniors with any service they might need to get by, should they be unable to afford this themselves.  From putting on a new roof to providing a hot meal, Hands to Help Seniors is there to help.  Please visit my blog where I talk about important senior issues at:

http://www.h2hs.org/news-and-media.html

Comments (0)     

Monterey, CA  Veterans Administration Computer System Needs Updating : View From A Nonprofit Serving Seniors In Carmel, Carmel Valley, Gonzalez, Greenfield, King City, Marina, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Pebble Beach, Salinas, Seaside And Soledad California

It has been sad to read about how badly people have been treated by our own government who have served valiantly in the many wars that we are fighting around the world.   I served in the military and, although paperwork has always been a big thing with the government, it seems to be exponentially worse now than it was when I was in the Army.  USA Today carried a sad story today about Vietnam veteran Charles Skipper who applied for disability benefits six years ago and still hasn't heard a peep from the government about the status of the claim.  The government has gotten more than its share of bad publicity recently, but Skipper told USA Today, "If you really want to know what Obamacare is going to be like, just look at the VA system."  Although I am not as bearish as Mr. Skipper, my for-profit company, Family inHome Caregiving, does take VA Insurance and I can tell you from personal experience that it can be a slow and painful process trying to collect what you are due from the government.  Simply put, the problem is one of resources.  There are currently 700,000 people who have applied for VA Disability insurance and are currently in limbo because there are not enough people at the VA to process the claims.  Of the claims, more than a half of a million have been pending for 125 days or more.  Imagine coming home from a war, being disabled, and waiting six months or a year to get benefits.  It's unconscionable.  One of the biggest problems, in my opinion, is that most of the claims are still filed by paper.  Family inHome Caregiving (of which I am the CEO) takes VA benefit insurance, and I can tell you the processing is erratic.  We will often send in a dozen or so claims, some are approved, some are not, and others disappear.  There needs to be a better system, particularly when people like Charles Skipper are waiting on the sidelines for six months to a year with no benefits.  He served his country, let's make sure that the insurance benefits that we promised to him are paid promptly.

Please note that this blog reflects my personal opinion and may or may not reflect the opinion of Hands to Help Seniors and the individual members comprising the Board of Governors.

Comments (0)     

View From A Nonprofit Serving Seniors In Carmel, Carmel Valley, Gonzalez, Greenfield, King City, Marina, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Pebble Beach, Salinas, Seaside And Soledad California

The end of the year is one of the biggest times of the year for gathering donations, as you have probably noticed by the number of pleas for money in your inbox or coming in the mail.  Thankfully, big stock-market gains and higher income tax rates have made people more generous this year than last.  Charitable giving through October was up 12% versus the prior year to $344 billion, according to the Atlas of Giving.  If you are considering a large year-end gift, it might make more sense to give the charity stock which has appreciated significantly because you can write off the current market value and not have to pay capital gains taxes on the increase over what you bought it for.  If you would like to make a cash donation, please click the donate button above.  We are doing great things to help seniors on the Monterey Peninsula.  We are also looking for volunteers if you like to work with senior citizens and have some free time.

Please note that this blog reflects my personal opinion and may or may not reflect the opinion of Hands to Help Seniors and the individual members comprising the Board of Governors.

Comments (0)