Making efforts to help people live independently

Anthony Brown
Rep. Allen Andrews

I know recent news articles about the funding situation with the Nodaway County Senior Center in Maryville have raised a great deal of concern for many seniors and their families, and I want to assure everyone I am committed to working on this issue to the extent I can. To make a long and complicated story short, the center has been denied state and federal funding through the Northwest Missouri Area Agency on Aging. This denial of funding has caused many to believe it is the result of cuts made by the legislature to the budget for the state’s AAAs.

Actually, the funding provided by the state to our Area Agencies on Aging has not received substantive cuts and remains very similar to what it was the previous year. The issue with the senior center is not the result of a lack of state funds, but rather a much more complicated situation that involves the AAAs changing some of the programs and methods they want senior centers to use in order to develop alternative approaches that will help address long term costs. Our population is aging and the associated costs of care are growing. We must make every effort to help people live independently by looking for creative solutions without cutting vital services. I am deeply concerned about this problem and will continue to work with all parties involved in an effort to ensure we have a continuation of services for the many seniors who receive meal assistance from the center. Our goal is to take care of people in need in the best way possible, and I will continue to do all I can to achieve this goal.

As always, it is an honor to serve you.

Allen Andrews, State Representative – District 1, Missouri State Capitol, 201 West Capitol Avenue, Jefferson City, MO 65101

Telephone: (573) 751-9465, [email protected]

Allen Andrews is the First District State Representative.