Valley residents to attend D.C. summit for seniors

Staff report

WARREN

Charlene Allen of Warren says government officials in Washington need to hear from ordinary citizens like her to understand how programs like Medicare and Social Security affect people.

As retirement security coordinator for the Mahoning Valley Organizing Collaborative and Ohio Organizing Collaborative, she will travel to Washington, D.C., on Tuesday to attend the White House Senior Community Leaders Summit.

Accompanying Allen will be Tammy Thomas, MVOC senior organizer and state director for OOC’s Senior Outreach program; and Gloria Hobbs of Youngstown, a community activist.

Thomas said the delegates will visit area legislators to promote enhancement of the quality of life for seniors and disabled citizens.

People need to be able to live their lives in dignity and should not be forced to leave their homes because they can’t afford home-health care, Thomas said.

The local women will be among some 100 community activists who will attend the White House summit and participate in three days of activities, including a trip to Capitol Hill to lobby Congress on strengthening, not cutting, programs such as Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

The summit is sponsored by the National Committee to Preserve Social Security Medicare.

Allen was left a widow in 2006 when her husband of 45 years died of a heart attack less than a month after he retired from General Motors.

“I was not prepared for the future, not only living without my husband ... but the drastic adjustment to my income and health-care coverage,” she said.

“I do not live above my means, but if there are cuts to Social Security and Medicare, I would have to adjust my lifestyle all across the board in terms of where I live, what I drive, what I eat and what type of health-care services I receive.”

Allen said some members of Congress are millionaires, so it’s obvious that some wouldn’t understand what it means to be an average American like her.