The Aging Report

More than 17 million Americans age 65+ struggle with rising housing and health care bills, inadequate nutrition, lack of access to transportation, diminished savings, and job loss. Every April, NCOA's Boost Your Budget Week helps educate older adults about benefits that provide hope for the economically insecure. These benefits are often a lifeline to helping low-income people with Medicare age well.

Boost Your Budget Week is between April 15-19; this is the perfect time to see if you qualify for benefits programs to help you pay for food, medicine, housing, and more. The National Council on Aging’s BenefitsCheckUp tool, available in English and Spanish, is free and confidential and will give you a personalized list of benefits to explore. Answer a few short questions and get a list of programs that could help you.

The Biden Administration released its Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 budget proposal, outlining some of the President's tax and spending priorities for the next decade. The President’s FY2025 Budget supports the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) mission to promote the health and well-being of all Americans.

The Department of Health and Human Services proposes $130.7 billion in discretionary and $1.7 trillion in mandatory proposed budget authority for FY 2025.

AgeGuide is honoring Fair Housing Month by focusing on homeless older adults. Housing is an issue not only in our region but across the country. Did you know, for example, that there's not a single county in the U.S. where people can afford a 2-bedroom apartment on minimum wage? For older adults on fixed incomes and with complex medical issues, this is especially challenging.

Of all people experiencing homelessness in the 2023 Homeless Assessment Report in the United States, 138,089 were over the age of 55. The 2023 report showed overall that older Americans were, in many places, becoming the fastest-growing segment of the homeless population. 

National Volunteer Month is more than just a designated period on the calendar; it's a celebration of the spirit of giving back and making a difference in our communities. While volunteering is valuable throughout the year, this month serves as a special opportunity to highlight the importance and impact of volunteerism.

Nonprofits like AgeGuide would not be able to impact communities without our network of volunteers. 

In this episode, we have the privilege of sitting down with Gregory Lind, a dedicated AgeGuide Board Member, and a volunteer for Home Delivered Meals at Dupage Senior Citizens Council. Greg shares his unique perspective on the transformative power of volunteering and recounts personal experiences delivering meals to homebound older adults.

His efforts resonate with our theme of  'The Great Re-Connection' as he provides both food and socialization to older adults in his community.  Stay tuned through the end of the episode when we take you on a ride-along to experience what it feels like to work with Meals on Wheels. 

National Social Security Month is celebrated in April and is dedicated to educating you about Social Security programs and services. To access your information, estimate or manage your benefits, or request a replacement Social Security card, follow this link.

We encourage older adults to take control of their future with a personal My Social Security Account. Create an account to check your earnings history, confirm your credits for retirement, estimate your future benefits, manage your monthly benefits, and more.

At AgeGuide, we love getting social! Stay up to date with the latest news, updates and learn more about AgeGuide and our work advocating for older adults and the services they need on our social media pages!