Janet Baker has to say “no” more often than she would like to the aging Kansas Citians her organization serves. Even to a woman newly confined to a wheelchair who called a couple of weeks ago requesting Meals on Wheels, Baker, executive director of KC Shepherd’s Center, had to say “no.” “This makes me sick,” […]
seniors
Posted inLocal Government, State Government
Missouri’s senior property tax freeze still dogged by unanswered questions
Takeaways Last year, the Missouri General Assembly scrambled to act on an issue popular with voters who turn out in large numbers: property tax cuts for seniors in the form of a tax freeze. Lawmakers passed a vague directive letting counties freeze property tax bills for seniors, without defining what “senior” meant, who was going […]
Posted inHealth
Sedgwick County prosecutors warn seniors their nest eggs make them targets for elder fraud
It can start with something as small as a gallon of milk. An adult daughter helping her mother shop for groceries mentions that she needs milk and her mother says, “Put it in with mine. I’ll pay for it.” Then the daughter asks for more and more each time — for rent, a credit card […]
Posted inHousing
Half of retirees downsize their homes. What should they consider?
What are we going to do with all this stuff?! It’s a question more people confront every day as they or their parents reach retirement age. Approximately 58,000 people aged 65 and older live in Wichita, according to latest census figures. Slightly more than half of these retirees will downsize from their longtime residence, moving […]
Posted inHealth
Deaths of adult children fall hard on aging parents, but help with grief exists
Most children grow into adulthood aware they will likely experience the death of a parent. But parents are rarely prepared for the death of an adult child — yet it becomes increasingly common as people age. According to a 2017 study published in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 9 percent of Americans experience […]
Posted inCivic Engagement, Local Government
Did a cost-cutting move reduce voter turnout in 2022?
Is Sedgwick County doing enough to ensure voting in elections is accessible to all? Nancy Brown, a leader of the Wichita League of Women Voters, doesn’t think so. She and other voting rights advocates believe people who have difficulty going to the polls were harmed by the Sedgwick County Commission last year. In the 2022 […]
Posted inLocal Government
The number of seniors is growing. Can Sedgwick County keep up?
Diane Pope, 72, first ventured into Linwood Senior Center six years ago. Her husband had died years earlier, and Pope felt “just lonely, lonely, lonely.” As a shy and introverted person, she was skeptical whether she could find community there. But after stopping by Linwood for the first time, a staff member chased her down […]