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Senior citizens to join in Rally Day in Springfield April 5

The Association of Illinois Senior Centers in collaboration with AARP Illinois, Illinois Association of Area Agencies on Aging (I4A), National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Illinois Chapter, Illinois Township Association of Senior Citizen Services Committees (ITASCSC) and senior service providers, are asking seniors and caregivers to join us in Springfield in the rotunda of the state capitol building at 2 p.m. Tuesday, April 5, to share your stories of how the budget stalemate is impacting you, your family, friends or neighbors.

As the population shifts from a younger mass population to an older mass population, funded resources need to follow. The web of senior services is vital to meet the myriad needs of the Illinois senior population which encompasses homebound seniors, isolated seniors, seniors needing better nutritional intake, seniors needing help or a meal after surgery or hospital stay, and healthy seniors that need to be connected to their peers and to community to remain engaged and feeling purposeful and to stay healthy.

A senior's world shrinks with each loss they experience - work (retirement), family (children moving), spouse (dying or becoming incapacitated), friends, ability, mobility, etc.; senior directed community-based services are able to help minimize the impact of these losses through services, like case management, homemaker, transportation, adult protective services, nutrition, counseling and senior centers all meant to maintain a seniors independence, purpose, pride, value and connectedness to the community.

It is paramount for people to be connected to others, it is through isolation that deterioration occurs. It is through these services, which are being ripped away, that seniors remain connected and engaged with life.

We know that we Senior Centers and Senior Services remain a vital part of the solution to the future of aging as we provide connection points for seniors and access to a variety of community resources; much like schools and social services work to support youth and their families, senior centers and senior services work to support seniors and their families. Without these resources, community health begins to fail, which increases both the financial cost and emotional toll on the residents.

Please join us in Springfield in the state capitol rotunda on April 5, 2016 at 2 p.m.

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