Older Adults Who Live Alone Struggle in the Current Economy
By Richard Shank
A recent health policy briefing from UCLA outlines how nearly a half million older Californians who live alone are struggling to make ends meet. Most lacked the income to meet a minimum level of housing, health care, transportation, and other basic expenses.
Over a quarter of Californians over 65 years of age live alone, and half of them live on incomes below the Elder Economic Security Standard Index’s (Elder Index) poverty threshold.
This report demonstrates that the current economic crisis is hitting older adults especially hard. In fact, the impact of the economy is proving to be additive by age, gender, and race/ethnicity, with the acuteness of the economic distress increasing with age. Furthermore, Latino elders who live alone displayed the highest levels of economic insecurity, as did women of all ethnic backgrounds.
This report suggests that a large proportion of Californian elderly are at a severe risk of being unable to meet even the most basic needs of shelter and food. Similar trends are being seen in both rural and urban areas throughout the country.
For more specific information, see the report at www.healthpolicy.ucla.edu
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