Western Arizona is home to a large population of people over the age of 50. KJZZ’s Kathy Ritchie has more on how these older adults are being supported in the brutal summer months.
Carol Brown is with the Western Arizona Council of Governments, which supports lower-income older adults living in Yuma, La Paz and Mohave counties. Many of them live alone.
"Even if they came with a spouse, they may have lost that loved one and they're now here living as a single person," Brown said.
She emphasized the importance of having up-to-date emergency contact forms and staying connected with friends and family during the summer for their clients.
"Because it can happen so quickly where we can fall prey to either heat exhaustion or heat stroke," she explained.
The other big challenge is funding. It hasn't increased since 2024.
"And that affects the bottom line of what it costs per meal and to serve each person," Brown said.
She said funding is a big concern especially because federal dollars are still in limbo.
"We don't know what the actual appropriation dollars will be. But right now we are functioning off the same funding levels that we had for fiscal year 2025, which is actually fiscal year 2024 funding," she said. "And at this time there is not an expectation of it being increased."
Brown said the limited funding has led to waitlists for services in two of the three counties the council serves. She added that La Paz County has had enough funding to bring on new clients.
