U.S. safety net systems for helping older Americans live comfortably in the community have many holes in them.
Investigators at the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) describe some of the home care gaps in a new report prepared at the request of Sen. Bernard Sanders, a Vermont independent who is running for president.
The investigators looked at how well government-funded meal service programs and home support care programs are aimed at low-income older Americans, and older Americans who have trouble with the activities of daily living (ADLs), are reaching the intended recipients.
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Charles Jeszeck, a GAO director, wrote in a report summarizing the investigators' work that only about 10 percent of low-income older adults participate in meals programs, and only about 17 percent of the low-income older adults are skipping meals because they are unable to afford food are in the meals programs.
