Gas Prices Cutting Elderly Assistance
According to a recent article in the New York Times, rising gas prices are forcing cutbacks on aid services for the elderly. Programs that offer Meal on Wheels, transportation assistance and home care are being scaled back due to the increasing price of gas. Volunteers who live in rural areas are being hit especially hard by soaring costs. In fact, more than half said they had already cut back on programs because of gas costs, and 90 percent said they expected to make cuts in the 2009 fiscal year, according to a recent survey by the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging.