Some senior service groups in Arkansas say they’re struggling to keep up with the demand that’s growing faster than their funding.
LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas — Some senior service groups across Arkansas have said they are struggling to keep up with the demand that’s growing faster than their funding.
Some organizations like CareLink say they’re still operating on a budget that was set a decade ago, even as inflation and demand grow.
«I would probably be in a care facility. I could no longer drive,» said Janice Sanders, who receives transportation services from CareLink.
For seniors like her, services from organizations like CareLink mean the difference between staying independent and losing it.
She explained how, as of three years ago, she can no longer drive.
«I was really getting in a bind,» she described. She then hopped online and found CareLink.
CareLink provides services that allow seniors to remain at home as long as possible by helping with rides, meals, and daily tasks.
However, providers say the system keeping those services running hasn’t kept up.
«My gosh, I wish more people knew how much you guys need funding,» Sanders told CareLink staff.
Meanwhile, CareLink CEO Luke Mattingly said the demand for senior services has been rising, but they’re still operating on state and federal budgets from 10 years ago.
«It’s just a bad formula for a crisis on the horizon,» he said.
Mattingly explained how right now, 17% of Arkansans are 65 and older. By 2030, he expects that number to climb above 25%,
Inflation has also been making it worse. What used to cost a dollar a day in 2017 now costs about $1.30.
With a growing senior population, rising costs, and a flat budget, they’re relying on fundraising as waitlists continue to grow.
«There’s no way that type of effort is going to offset the need coming down the pike,» Mattingly described.
As state lawmakers prepare for budget talks on March 4, he’s urging them, and Congress, to pay attention to the wave of seniors needing services along with funding organizations like CareLink that provide them, and to revisit Medicaid.
