The governor’s cuts could force elder Alaskans out of their homes and into more costly facility-based care.
Alaska has the fastest-growing senior population per capita of all 50 states for the tenth consecutive year. Yet, the governor’s budget reflects a $2.7 million cut to senior community-based grants for fiscal year 2024-2025. Community-based grants from the Division of Senior and Disabilities Services are by far the least costly of senior services and the most effective in helping the nearly 20,000 older Alaskans continue to live independently in their own homes and communities.
A vast majority of us desire to remain in our own homes and communities as we age. We prefer a home setting over a nursing home or other institutional setting, and that is what’s best for the state and society as well.
Cuts to senior community grantees could result in programs shifting from serving meals to seniors every day to only once every other day. For some seniors, their lunch at the senior center or Meals on Wheels delivery is the only meal they eat daily. Other programs would have to reduce or even cut out transportation services, leaving the 1 in 5 seniors who don’t drive with diminished or no transportation options for grocery shopping, medical appointments, and senior center activities.
We urge the Alaska Legislature to make the fiscally responsible choice to restore $2.7 million to senior community-based grants for FY2025, which will keep senior services providers from having to cut current services already stretched by growing numbers of seniors and increased food insecurity.
The views expressed here are the writer’s and are not necessarily endorsed by the Anchorage Daily News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a piece for consideration, email
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