You know, sadly, things are set up for seniors to feel hopeless. I've been disabled since I was 24. You dont get to save money on disability fpr retirement. And I got just over too much for medicaid. Don't get me wrong. I have medigap. Expensive and a privilege to able to afford it. And always grateful. I can see the flaws and feel gratitude at the same time. 🙌🏻

So, at 69, joints needing replaced and CRPS spreads, and only medicare, I can only get home help if I pay $40+ an hour. People in charge don't think about us being on the same sheets for 6 months. No vacuuming, washing kitchen floor, moving laundry from the washer to the dryer. Council on aging told me they would only come to bathe me. Does congress realize they are telling seniors they have to be willing to get naked in front of any stranger, male or female, alone in your home, within 5 minutes of thrm walking in the door. Do seniors get to have no pride. No safety. I asked "so as lkng as I'm clean, you don't care if I've esten. His response was a sharp "thats correct." (Turns out locally they lost the grant for mismanagement. People died because of them refusing help.

But they want us to feel hopeful? I've decided "age in place" means ask your daughter. I don't have children (I DO have a cat lol!)

Anyway, I have faith in my own resilience. My own strength. Faith is inside. Nobody can steal that from us. For me, hope reaches outward and depends alot on others. Its harder as we age and oir retirement goes less and less far as the minimum wage increases. We don't increase except to barely cover medicare, part D, medigap yearly increases. Raiding the minimum wage is important but it leaves seniors and disabled further in the dust.
Rant over. I don't hear people talking about us tho. I hear "middle class" a lot. The disabled and too many seniors are far from middle class.

Ok. Thanks for the opportunity to digress - tho it is about how hard it is to maintain hope in todays world.

Do get me wrong, I'm very grateful for SSA. Without it, I and many would be homeless. Or living in a hospital bed preventing others from getting surgery right. No long term thinking.