Putnam Hears Senior Care Concerns at St. Cloud Roundtable

(KNSI) – Seniors and the people who care for them sat down with their state senator Tuesday morning to talk about what it takes to grow old well in central Minnesota, from staying in their own homes to staying connected to their neighbors.

Democratic-Farmer-Labor Sen. Aric Putnam of St. Cloud hosted the roundtable at the Great River Regional Library’s St. Cloud branch, where about 35 to 40 people turned out. Putnam told KNSI one theme came up in comment after comment from the room. “A lot of people as seniors volunteer, and people in the community volunteer to help seniors. But we’re also busy, and we’re also sort of financially strapped ourselves that volunteerism is starting to suffer a little bit.”

That loss matters, Putnam says, because volunteering gives seniors a sense of purpose and relationships, and time spent between young people and older adults benefits both sides.

State budget pressure is also on the horizon. At the end of last session, lawmakers ordered cuts to human services budgets, and Putnam says those cuts may hit seniors harder than other groups. A board reviewing the cuts is expected to make recommendations near the end of October, and the Legislature is supposed to vote on them when it returns. Putnam left little doubt where he stands. “And I can tell you this, that I’m going to fight very hard to make sure that our seniors are still protected and that these programs that help us help each other remain viable.”

Representatives from Whitney Senior Center and the Central Minnesota Council on Aging pointed to Live Well at Home grants as one program worth protecting. The grants help seniors stay in their own homes, in part by paying for people to come in and help them. Putnam says those programs need to be stabilized and maintained.

The panel included Lori Vrolson, executive director of the Central Minnesota Council on Aging, who pushed for a whole-community approach that looks at housing, food and loneliness together rather than one at a time. Geriatric care provider Dr. George Schoephoerster also took part, and Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy stopped in as well. Putnam says people in the audience did as much talking as the panelists, which gave lawmakers a chance to mostly listen.

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