Officials from the Department of Aging and Independent Living are advocating for senior citizens across the Commonwealth. Department representatives said cuts to funding have led them to make tough decisions for the program. A primary concern has been the discontinuation of home delivery meal services for hundreds of seniors.
Victoria Elridge, commissioner of the Department for Aging and Independent Living, said the program’s funding is a large factor in how many senior citizens they can reach.
“Overall, from 2019 to 2025, there has been a 35% increase in Kentuckians participating in the program and a 55% increase in the number of meals served to hungry older adults. The increase in need for food has outstripped the funding available when the current budget was put together in fall of 2023,” said Elridge.
Elridge said the administration has seen firsthand the impact this program has as well as its necessity to the senior citizens of Kentucky.
“As of today, we have met with eight area development districts and are providing technical assistance to them and we are currently assessing the impact. We have made recommendations to each of the area development districts to support seniors with the highest malnutrition score as well as implement a meal reservation system in the senior centers,” said Elridge.
The department is advocating for more funding since recently experiencing a shortfall of nearly $10 million.