DIRNE: True light for many citizens

Recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau mentioned the numbers of older adults living in poverty have grown from 33.7 percent to 34.6 percent. That is 13.5 million people. To put that into perspective, imagine driving through Idaho and Washington deep into Oregon. Every lit window of every house, every apartment building, every occupant stuck in rush hour traffic and every curious face peering from the school bus would not equal 13.5 million souls.

When thinking about a number so large, one can only think of it in terms of numbers. Sandra Nathan, senior vice president for economic security at the National Council on Aging said, "What the numbers have shown us is that economic insecurity for older adults has definitely increased."

Fortunately, there are many organizations and agencies throughout the nation who, while perhaps not knowing their numbers, know their faces. Dirne Community Health Center is just such a place. For instance, Mike Szymanski has been a Nurse Practitioner in Community Health Centers for more than 20 years. He and his wife Mary worked exclusively with seniors over age 65 at Dirne Family Practice. Mike will still go several times a week to visit seniors in many different facilities, because there's a need to do it. Dirne Family Practice has even assembled a team of providers dedicated to enhancing the health of seniors.

There is a comic strip I've seen with the two seniors making a quip, "Honey, with the new COLA for Social Security, perhaps we can eat the cat food with the lights on tonight." This really isn't a laughing matter. It is daily existence. It might be the life our neighbors live just beyond their closed door.

Dirne, the Kroc Center and many other organizations provide a sliding fee scale based upon family size and income. This isn't just for "starving students" studying nursing at North Idaho College, nor solely for the family that lives in their car through the summer. These organizations offer that sliding fee scale also to seniors with limited income. Truly, this is a benefit many seniors are choosing. With discounted medications through a Dirne CHC medication assistance program, no deductibles for Medicare Part B, and a truly caring and professional staff it's no surprise that Dirne's senior population is much larger than CHCs of comparable size elsewhere in the country.

So, when we all look at the numbers of this issue, let's not forget that volunteers at the Area Agency on Aging for North Idaho, those reviewing the scholarship applications at the Kroc Center or the medical professionals at places like Dirne CHC all know the faces of these 13.5 million people throughout the nation. They know names, not the numbers, and inasmuch, they deserve our full support to help that neighbor just beyond the closed door who may be eating cat food in the dark.

Thanks Dirne.

DONNA AUSTIN

Hayden