During a town hall meeting on Friday, Sen. Bernie Sanders heard from senior Vermonters about their critical needs and priorities, including workforce challenges, universal healthcare, and nutrition programs.
The event, sponsored by Vermont AARP, took place at the Montpelier Senior Activity Center and was live streamed across the state.
Sanders began the meeting by emphasizing the importance of including older individuals in discussions that have a significant impact on their lives.
“I believe that as a society, we don’t talk enough about aging, what it means to grow old, and all the choices that seniors have,” he said.
Throughout the meeting, Sanders fielded questions from both the in-person and online audience. Accessible and affordable healthcare emerged as a recurring topic.
Many attendees stressed the importance of being able to age in their own homes. Sanders underscored the critical need for home healthcare services.
“I believe you will agree with me that one of the challenges we have with home healthcare is that we pay these workers, who do essential work, inadequate wages,” Sanders said. “They’re earning $13, $14, $15 an hour.”
Sanders also addressed concerns about universal healthcare and lowering the cost of those services.
“What we’re trying to do is develop and expand legislation that says when you leave the hospital, we will ensure that there is someone taking care of you, making sure you’re taking your medications, your home is comfortable, you’re eating, and you end up saving money by doing that, because people don’t end up in the hospital,” he said.
Several attendees at the meeting also raised concerns about nutrition programs. Older people across Vermont rely on services like congregate meals and Meals on Wheels for food and socialization.
Mary Alice Bisbee, who attended the meeting in person in Montpelier, expressed concerns about the funding and quality of these programs.
“I really value congregate meals and our congregate meals here at the [Montpelier] Senior Center are being cut back to twice a month,” Bisbee said. “I had Meals on Wheels this winter, and they were terrible because they just aren’t nearly as good as they used to be a few years ago.”
Meg Burmeister, the accounting director of the Northeast Empire Council about Aging, was obviously a panelist during Friday’s event. She also emphasized the significance of nutrition services for older persons.
“We have people who are trying to make it on their own and live on a low income and be able to afford food,” she said. “So our network of food pantries and working with the food bank really becomes crucial as a way to help individuals get their needs met.”
“I believe that as a nation, we don’t talk about aging enough, what it means to grow old, all the options that older people have.”
Sen. Bernie Sanders
While Friday’s discussion covered a wide range of topics, Sanders consistently returned to the overarching issue of greed in the country.
He mentioned that prior authorization, where a health insurance provider must approve a treatment before care is given, is “demoralizing” for the healthcare industry.
“They want to treat you, that’s why they went to medical school, that’s what the Hippocratic Oath is about, and they have to argue with the insurance companies about the kind of treatment they want to provide for you,” Sanders said.
Bisbee echoed the senator’s concerns, expressing her frustration that there aren’t enough doctors and nurses in Vermont.
“They’re leaving the profession and pursuing other careers, like being artists or poets or whatever they love, rather than fighting with the insurance companies,” she said.
Throughout the entire meeting, Sanders emphasized the need for unity and change, and encouraged people to continue coming together and fighting for their causes.
“The worst thing that we can do is to throw up our hands in despair and give up,” he said. “I want everybody to be engaged in the political process, to respect other people’s points of view, to make sure the kids understand what democracy is about.”
