Always outspoken about senior needs and rights, I was fascinated and conflicted when I read about a McDonald’s restaurant in Flushing, Queens, N.Y., where two police officers ordered a group of elderly Korean patrons to leave the restaurant.
It seems the group, often on walkers and with canes, regularly shuffled into the restaurant as early as 5 a.m. and stayed all day, treating the eatery as their personal senior center.
Officers have been called in, the group leaves only to walk around the block and return again, taking up seats and causing the restaurant to lose other customers.
According to the paper, there is no shortage of facilities that cater to the elderly there. A compromise was brokered by Assemblyman Ron Kim, which called for the patrons to limit their loitering to less than an hour from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. So far, it has only been working part of the time.
The story brought a smile to my face; but on a serious note, as the population ages, we all need to pay more attention to the special needs and feelings of the elderly.
Our own Branford Senior Center is difficult to enter for many seniors, and just recently I complained at a doctor’s office in Madison because their tiny bathroom lacked the requisite handicapped toilet.
All too often, streets in our towns, especially the side streets in New Haven, are icy and dangerous, days following a snowfall, forcing seniors to stay at home or risk falling when they venture out.
On Social Security
Also in the news are some changes in Social Security benefits. Workers retiring this year at full retirement age (currently 66), will see an increase from $2,533 a month to $2,642. If you are already on Social Security, your increase will depend on the level of your 2013 benefits, but benefits will go up 1.5 percent or an average of $19 per month. Based on the Consumer Price Index, during the past 25 years, COLA has averaged 2.74 percent; a relatively modest amount when you realize the increase in many basic living costs, yet some in Congress would like to lower the cost-of-living adjustment.
The maximum amount of pay that can be taxed for Social Security in 2014 will be $117,000, which means Jamie Dimon can sleep soundly at night. His raise as head of JPMorgan Chase to $20 million will hardly be affected. (Can anyone really be worth that amount of yearly compensation?) The Social Security tax is 12.4 percent, shared equally by worker and employer, but additionally, each also pays 1.45 percent for Medicare with no salary cap.
In 2014, if you are between 62-66, are receiving Social Security but continue to work, there is an earnings limit of $15,480 (an increase of $360 over previous years) before you start to lose some of your Social Security dollars. After full retirement, you are permitted to earn any amount with no penalty to your Social Security; a good rule since many seniors are planning to continue to work, well into their later years.
Meanwhile, I think this senior will forgo using credit cards for awhile. After this week’s news of data breaches at Neiman Marcus and Target, it will both save my money and my peace of mind.
Contact Jean Cherni, certified senior adviser for Senior Living Solutions and Pearce Plus, a helpful, full-service program for seniors contemplating a move, at jeancherni@sbcglobal.net or 49 Rose St., Apt. 510, Branford, 06405.
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