Calhoun County seniors could lose out in funding cuts

CALHOUN COUNTY, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) – With the state budget cuts now in place, leaders in Calhoun County say it's area seniors who will lose out.

The Area Agency on Aging counts on the state for three-quarters of a million dollars annually to reach out to seniors who want to stay in their own homes, but now more than half of that money is gone.

“There will be people left out,” said Karla Fales of the Area Agency on Aging.

Fales says state budget cuts could see funding to senior services decrease by as much as five million dollars.

“Five million is pretty drastic,” said Fales.

Locally, that means the Area Agency on Aging could lose nearly a quarter of their funding, or half a million dollars for in-home health care programs. Nearly 500 Calhoun County residents qualify for those services and now more and more are being turned away.

“We get calls everyday and continue to add people to the wait list,” said Fales.

The longer the wait is, Fales feels that without additional funds the lives of seniors could be at risk.

“There are going to be people who are not going to leave their homes, they could fall, not take their medications,” said Fales.

Newschannel 3 spoke to several seniors about the issue on Friday.

“I'm fortunate enough that I have good benefits from my previous employment,” said Fred Singer.

While good fortune may prevail for some, others say they are concerned about the state shutting them out in the future.

“I'm just at that hump,” said Timothy Westover, “anything that affects seniors now will affect me in the future more.”

In addition to those cuts, the folks at the Area Agency on Aging are preparing to cut back on other programs for seniors in Calhoun County and throughout West Michigan if money isn't available.