Almost half of California seniors struggle to survive

The San Jose Mercury reports:

Groceries or medicine? Rent or heat? Two meals or three? Almost half of California's seniors confront these essential survival questions each day, according to a new study released today by researchers calling on the state to better track its seniors who have slipped off the public's radar.

The UCLA Center for Health Policy Research report measured economic stability by the real costs to eat, travel and pay for medical costs and housing in each of California's 58 counties.

Its findings reveal 47 percent of state residents 65 and older are unable to pay for their basic needs. That's 864,000 seniors, more than half of whom struggle at home alone.

The new data reveal far deeper poverty rates among seniors than was previously known. According to the decades-old standard of measuring poverty, only 9 to 10 percent of California seniors were considered poor, that is, earning less than $10,000 a year. Researchers note that amount is peanuts in high-cost California, failing to reflect the true cost of survival.

The struggles of Blue America.