Seniors speak out on meal situation

Jul. 19, 2008 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- Frank Amor worries that Yuba-Sutter senior citizens may be at risk for health problems when QuEST -- Quality Education Services Training -- stops delivering and serving free meals in August.

"I feel that if anything happens to these people healthwise that QuEST should be responsible for their neglect," Amor, 64, said Friday after a Town Hall meeting in Marysville.

Amor is one of 242 senior citizens in Yuba County who have lunch weekdays at sites in Marysville, Wheatland and Brownsville.

Another 150 seniors receive home delivered meals.

QuEST can no longer afford to feed those 357 adults and provide transportation to medical visits for 33 people due to budget cuts and rising gas prices, said Jane Stan, program manager for Area 4, the agency that oversees the contract with QuEST. The nonprofit will discontinue nutrition and transportation services Aug. 3, leaving at least a three-week gap before another organization takes over, Stan said.

"I think a break is absurd," Amor said. "It's unbelievable that (QuEST) would consider such a thing in such a short notice -- putting some seniors at risk."

QuEST officials did not return phone calls Friday afternoon.

Twenty seven senior citizens and advocates came to the Friday meeting held by Area 4 and the Yuba County Commission on Aging to discuss problems facing older adults, including nutrition services.

Sutter County senior citizens will also lose services from QuEST.

The Area 4 agency has sent requests for proposals for nutrition and transportation services for Yuba-Sutter senior citizens to the Salvation Army, the American Red Cross and Pride Industries. Stan said the Area 4 agency hopes to have a provider by Aug. 25.

"I know what the problem is here," Stan said. "We're trying to do our best. We're trying to accelerate this as much as possible."

Irene Broome, 64, sat on the panel at the meeting as a Yuba County seniors' representative and later said some senior citizens receive meals because they can't cook for themselves. She said they may suffer, especially those who have meals delivered and can't leave the house.

"I worry about them," Broome said. "They're the ones that need the help right now more than anyone else."

Will Tift, a planner for the Area 4 agency, lead the discussion and explained difficulties in the process of losing a meal service and finding another one.

"At arms length it seems like an easy problem to fix," Tift said of the nutrition service. "But when you come up close to it you see all these complexities to it."

Tift encouraged the community to find resources to replace the services QuEST offered.

A task force charged with finding a solution to the problem will meet at 9 a.m. Wednesday at the Yuba County Government Center, 915 Eighth St., Marysville. The meeting is open to the public.

"Government has a limited ability to meet the needs of the most vulernable," Tift said. "We're all forced to do with less. It's the other groups -- in the private sector and faith-based groups. We really need them to be involved if we're going to solve these issues."

Contact Appeal-Democrat reporter Katy Sweeny at 749-4708 or ksweeny@appealdemocrat.com

Newstex ID: KRTB-0131-26780339