compassion
AGING IN Appalachia P
overty isn’t new, particularly in Appalachia. As recently as 2015 the Appalachian Regional Commission reported that more than 25 percent of residents in Eastern Kentucky live below the poverty line. And sadly, the rate of senior poverty in the state, at 11.2 percent, is the third highest in the nation. Christian Appalachian Project (CAP) works every day to transform the lives of these seniors. “The average income of the majority of our participants is about $750 per month. That is the income for individuals that receive supplemental social security income,” said Teresa Gullett, manager of elderly services and elderly housing in Johnson, Martin, Floyd, Knott, and Magoffin Counties. “They often struggle with having funds for food, utilities, home repairs, transportation, and medical supplies.”
access to reliable transportation to local healthcare facilities, much less to more specialized and advanced treatment options not located in the community.
a better chance of being able to stay in their own home and maintain an increased quality of health,” Gullett said. “But sometimes their health issues limit their mobility and that is when our housing staff steps in to “We provide transports to various build accessible ramps or to make agencies which gives our participants other needed repairs to the home.
21% of married Social Security recipients and 43% of single recipients aged 65+ depend on Social Security for 90% or more of their income. SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION, 2016
Healthcare costs naturally increase with age. Chronic conditions are more prevalent in seniors, while costs for treatments, medications, and health insurance continue to rise. Seniors in rural areas such as Eastern Kentucky face additional challenges. Often, rural areas lack high quality and specialized health services, and seniors may have no SPRING / SUMMER 2018 | christianapp.org/MtSpiritGive
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