Senator Tina Smith Talks Challenges and Solutions for Older Adults in West St. Paul

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U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) hosted a round table conversation in West St. Paul today with nonprofit leaders and community members about issues facing older adults.

“Every person should have the opportunity to age with dignity and grace to the very, very best of their abilities and comfort,” Smith said. “We should have that as our beacon as we think about how to go about this work.”

Why: Smith is specifically working on next year’s reauthorization of the Older Americans Act (OAA), looking to make changes and improvements to the law first passed in 1965.

• Social isolation and lack of connection are the biggest predictor of negative outcomes, including chronic disease.
• “When I first started working on this in the Senate, people would say, ‘You can’t legislate away loneliness,'” Smith said. “[But] that’s sort of a ridiculous thing to say, because there’s so much we can do to connect people in their communities, whether it’s Meals on Wheels, support for caregivers, or so many different things.”
• DARTS hosted the conversation in West St. Paul, with a number of representatives from organizations including AARP, Trellis, and more.

Issues and Concerns

The challenge of caregiving: “You feel overwhelmed. You feel anxious. You’re sad with grief every day,” said Kathy Bartisas, who cares for her husband with Alzheimer’s and described the challenges of the disease—but also the benefit of a DARTS respite care program called Breathing Space. “What is the value of Breathing Space? For me, more than anything, it makes my husband happy.”

Lack of connection and trouble asking for help: “The social isolation is just wild. It’s absolutely horrible,” said Mark Giorgini of Mendota Heights. His mother lived in West St. Paul and recently passed away after dealing with Alzheimer’s. “She was very strong and independent. She didn’t want to ask anyone for help. Here in West St. Paul we have great resources in DARTS, AARP, and other organizations, but she wouldn’t go there.”

Lack of affordable housing and homelessness: “Older adults laugh at what we call affordable housing, because you can’t afford it on Social Security,” said Patricia McArdle, the director of aging and disability services with Catholic Charities Twin Cities. She noted that homelessness among adults 55 and older grew 7% according to a recent report from the Wilder Foundation, though she suspects it’s much higher.

Funding not meeting needs: “We doubled the number of people we serve during the pandemic. And we’re still serving that same amount. [But] the funding is not there,” said Patrick Rowan, the executive director of Twin Cities Meals on Wheels. “Funding has not kept pace with the demographic shift.”

Aging in place: “There’s not a way to fund enough infrastructure, in terms of assisted living, nursing facilities, etc., to be able to support the number of people who may need that, so being able to age in place in your home is so important,” said Anjuli Mishra Cameron, the CEO of SEWA-AIFW. She emphasized the value of culturally relevant programs, such as meals that align with dietary restrictions and programs where older adults can speak with others in their native language.

What’s Next

Today’s event is the first in many conversations to be held around the state, leading up to the Senate Health Committee’s work next year to update and improvement the Older Americans Act.

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