May is Older Americans month, a time to recognize older Americans’ contributions, highlight trends and reaffirm commitments to serving older adults in our nation, state and communities.

Unfortunately, the Trump administration is at war with our nation’s older adults.  First, it was the attack on Social Security as offices were closed, workers targeted for layoffs and beneficiaries told they could not provide information over the phone but would need to visit offices or go online, which many older adults and some of those with disabilities are not capable of doing.   

Next was an attack on the Administration for Community Living as Health and Human Services Secretary Robert J. Kennedy proposed its dismantling, with functions delegated to other agencies. ACL oversees the Older Americans Act, which funds states across the country to assist older adults with their nutrition needs, offer services such as home care and transportation, protect the rights of nursing home residents, deal with cases of abuse and neglect of older adults and help explain the complexities of Medicare.

Not only was the ACL proposed for dismantling, but important programs targeted for elimination including the long-term care ombudsman program, lifespan-respite services and adult-protection services support.  Loss of funding for these programs would seriously impact the Rhode Island Office of Healthy Aging, which receives half of its funding from the federal government. 

Former Rhode Island Congressman John E. Fogarty was a driving force in the passage of the Older Americans Act, which laid the groundwork for many of the programs administered by the Administration for Community Living. Our nation’s older population is growing. In Rhode Island, there has been a 25% increase in persons age 60+ since 2020, and in six of our communities 25% of the population is age 65 and over. Eliminating programs that help keep older adults healthy, safe and independent is irrational and just plain wrong.

Now we wait with great anxiety for an attack on Medicaid as Congress attempts to find the nearly $900 billion in savings over 10 years needed to extend tax advantages for the extremely wealthy. Medicaid – which pays for long-term supports and services including nursing-home care, adult day services, home care and assisted living for thousands of older Rhode Islanders and persons with disabilities – will likely be a prime target.

We must also be concerned that Medicare may be another battle in Trump’s ‘War on Older Adults.' Despite the president’s claims that Medicare will not be touched, we do not yet know what the new Centers for Medicare and Medicaid administrator has in mind but will be closely watching.  

 It is important to know what is at stake by these short-sighted proposals. We all need to speak up loudly to stop this ‘War on Older Adults’ and the disruption and collapse of programs so important to the lives of Rhode Island’s older adults and adults with disabilities and those across the nation.

Maureen Maigret, a former Rhode Island state representative and director of the state Department of Elderly Affairs, is a consultant on aging policy and long-term services.