Food, medication or rent? It’s an impossible choice and one no senior should be forced to make.
Unfortunately, Snohomish County seniors are facing it more often.
With the out-of-pocket costs for medicine and medical care increasing every year, more seniors are left searching for ways to make their fixed incomes go further. Local seniors are often eating less or even delaying purchasing their prescriptions and the results can be life-threatening.
It was the need to make that choice that landed 71-year-old Harriet in hospital.
The Everett-area senior has always been frugal with her modest income, budgeting carefully to ensure all her bills are paid on time.
But faced with rising costs, Harriet started skipping meals and eventually even her essential medication, just to ensure her home and bills were covered first.
Unfortunately, Harriet’s good intentions lead to a life-threatening situation and a stay in hospital.
A caring community makes a difference
No senior should ever face that choice, and with the generosity and caring of the Snohomish County community they won’t have to.
Every day, seniors and people with permanent disabilities reach out to Homage, a non-profit organization providing services and programs like Meals on Wheels, counseling, transportation assistance, minor home repairs and social services.
ey are Hungry, desperate and alone, they come seeking support for their most basic human needs.
What they end up receiving is so much more.
For Harriet, a caring Homage team member quickly signed her up for meal delivery directly to her front door. Along with regular nourishing meals Harriet also received the message that someone cares about her and her well-being.
Meals on Wheels ensures no senior has to go hungry -Photo courtesy of Homage
Each week, Harriet can now depend on home-delivered meals, knowing she has the nutrition she needs to stay healthy and still afford her medications and rent.
For most of us, the last few years have been filled with uncertainty. For seniors like Harriet the fear, isolation and loss of normalcy has been ten-fold.
Through her new support team at Homage, Harriet was connected with a trained mental health professional who helped her build strategies to cope with feelings of anxiety and depression. Their weekly phone calls helped lessen Harriet’s fear of the world outside her door and improved her overall mental health and well-being.
Today, for the first time, in a long time, Harriet is optimistic about her future. She knows she’s cared for and that on her bad days, help is only a phone call away.
Homage provides seniors with trained mental health professionals -Photo courtesy of Homage
Help for seniors like Harriet is only possible with the support of donors, volunteers and advocates. Homage relies on donations to ensure seniors like Harriet receive uninterrupted services. The generosity of the Snohomish County community provides nourishing meals and lifesaving services to those in need every day.
Learn how you can help Homage support locals in need at homage.org and learn about volunteering here.
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