After 50 years of the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, it’s time for a refresh. Right now, the program’s rules are so stringent and outdated that it’s no longer helping the people who most need it.
Vivian is a 77 year-old Vietnamese woman who had a stroke a couple years ago and now resides in a nursing facility in Alameda, California. Vivian wants to move back home with her daughter but she needs assistance with dressing, bathing, cooking her meals, and getting to her doctor’s appointments. Her daughter works a full-time […]
The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately targeted older adults, taking the life of 1 in 100 Americans over 65. The impacts are much worse in communities of color, who, as a result of structural discrimination in the health care system and other facets of life, are at higher risk of infection and death. This is especially […]
When envisioning the core essentials for aging, adequate healthcare, nutrition services, accessible housing and sufficient income likely come to mind. “Access to legal assistance” should be added to this vital list as it can protect these other essentials. Advocates who work with older adults know that systems, services and structures are not perfect—many older adults […]
The Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program is designed to alleviate poverty among older adults and people with disabilities, but it requires crucial updates to fulfill its promise.
This piece was published originally at NextAvenue.org. Our current racial justice reckoning has invited our nation to reconsider our most basic institutions and structures, acknowledge their often racist origins and consider how we can create a more equitable country. Racial justice and abolitionist movements also ask us to confront the harm that our society's systems […]
Janet Y. Spears Kevin Prindiville Janet Y. Spears: Kevin, you’ve announced a major new initiative to center all of your work in [racial] equity. Can you tell me a little bit about what led Justice in Aging to this moment? Kevin Prindiville: Our mission has always been about fighting senior poverty, with a special focus […]
It’s obvious if you work in the aging field. It’s obvious if you work in disability field. It’s obvious if you are any age and live with a disability. It’s obvious if you are a member of the growing direct care workforce. It’s obvious if you are a son or a daughter supporting an aging […]
We ripped it up. After spending most of 2019 developing a new strategic plan, we were all set to present a final draft to our Board of Directors in the spring of 2020. Then the pandemic hit and we put our plans on hold. As the COVID-19 crisis unfolded, it revealed just how deep systemic […]
As the COVID-19 vaccine rollout bumps along and vaccinations for older adults have begun on a large scale, it is clear that, although supply is a problem, a bigger problem is that some older adults in the communities hardest hit by COVID-19 are not able to access the vaccine due to other barriers. Lucy is […]
