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Does your mother also live in Pennsylvania? I was raised in that state and I know there are many ways for seniors there who are living on low incomes to get assistance. As for the heating of the house, have you contacted the Pennsylvania Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)? A single person with an annual income below $16,755 is eligible for some energy assistance grants. Benefits.gov - Pennsylvania Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
There is also a Weatherization Assistance Program designed to help low-income seniors reduce their energy consumption and lower the expenses involved in taking care of their homes. The income limit for that assistance for a one-person household is $22,340. Benefits.gov - Pennsylvania Weatherization Assistance Program
Other help for aging Pennsylvanians is available from the Commonwealth's Department of Human Services. It makes available, to persons 60 years of age and older, a wide variety of programs. You can find them by Googling the name of the county your mother lives in, along along with the words "services for the aging." You might be able to make an appointment with a social worker who can advise you on services appropriate for your mother's needs. Your tax dollars and Federal grants are paying for these things, so your mother would be amiss not to take advantage of them.
Arizona also has a lot of those programs. My mom is 86, but not working, and doesn't get 'that' much in SS. She gets a discount on both gas and electric and last year didn't have to pay any property taxes. Not enough income. It was between $300-400 a year. What that did though was cost her in SNAP benefits. She started out at around $120 mo. and is now down to about $70. Between all of us she is doing just fine though.
My sister lives in So. Dakota and 8 years ago my mom gave her the money to buy a mobile home. It needed some things and, as time went by, even more things but the state has done it ALL for her. It's practically a brand new mobile home now. I guess they must have a lot of programs to help the elderly/disabled. And it's probably the biggest reason my sister won't move back here.
Thanks all, for your input and suppport. Mom's Social Security would be impossible to live on, so that's one reason she still works. Quite a few years ago, she did get some replacement windows and some electrical work done in her home through an assistance program. And there is the program where she gets a small amount toward her fuel bill (LIHEAP), but with oil heat, that bill just keeps skyrocketing. School/property taxes have gotten out of hand in our county, more than doubling in the past couple years, so that is another challenge. For her Christmas present, I'll contribute what I can toward her fuel bill. I just wish I could help more. But in the grand scheme of things, and what I must consider, is that Mom is not unhappy. She has never had a "Woe is me" attitude, ever. Doesn't stop me from worrying, though!
Thanks all, for your input and suppport. Mom's Social Security would be impossible to live on, so that's one reason she still works. Quite a few years ago, she did get some replacement windows and some electrical work done in her home through an assistance program. And there is the program where she gets a small amount toward her fuel bill (LIHEAP), but with oil heat, that bill just keeps skyrocketing. School/property taxes have gotten out of hand in our county, more than doubling in the past couple years, so that is another challenge. For her Christmas present, I'll contribute what I can toward her fuel bill. I just wish I could help more. But in the grand scheme of things, and what I must consider, is that Mom is not unhappy. She has never had a "Woe is me" attitude, ever. Doesn't stop me from worrying, though!
That is the most important thing. My mom was 70 when dad died. She had to stop working because of debilitating depression and the onset of a number of health problems. She eventually took control of those problems, started volunteering, made a few good friends.
I felt that she needed to move out of the old house in need of repair. She never would. It was her home and she was determined to stay there. I did everything that I could to help her remain in that house which she had shared with my dad. She solved the problem by having a friend move in and share expenses.
She died a few weeks ago... at the age of 86. I thought that she'd make it to at least 90 because her brother made it to 101. I sometimes felt as though I did everything that I could for her, but, now it doesn't seem enough.
I have an aunt who is 82, is healthy as a horse, sharp as a tack, goes to the personal trainer (and lifts WEIGHTS - does crunches, squats, the whole nine) three times a week, and works four times a week. She LOVES it. She worked 30 years, retired, and has worked THIS job (at an elementary school) for 30 years! She also socializes a LOT with her church, always going out to lunch or to events. HER mother (my grandmother) on the flipside, became a hermit in her late 70s, rarely left the house, didn't drive, had no friends, and developed dementia. I am CONVINCED her lack of socialization played a part.
My mom is 74, is also very healthy and independent, and still substitute teaches here and there.
I say let elderly folks who are healthy and able go and do as LONG as they can.
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She also socializes a LOT with her church, always going out to lunch or to events. HER mother (my grandmother) on the flipside, became a hermit in her late 70s, rarely left the house, didn't drive, had no friends, and developed dementia. I am CONVINCED her lack of socialization played a part.
