To the editor:

Missouri’s seniors have every right to feel abandoned by state leaders. The General Assembly’s newly approved budget delivers deep cuts to Area Agencies on Aging, putting vital services for thousands of older Missourians at serious risk.

Home-delivered meals, transportation to medical appointments and in-home care are lifelines for many seniors. Yet as our aging population grows, lawmakers have chosen to weaken — rather than strengthen — the programs designed to help them live independently and with dignity.

These are the same Missourians who built our farms, powered our factories and sustained our communities. They raised families, paid their taxes and invested their lives in this state. Now, in their later years, they deserve more than to be treated as an afterthought in the state budget.

Restoring this year’s funding may no longer be possible, but our legislators can and must make senior services a clear priority when drafting next year’s budget. We cannot claim to respect Missouri’s heritage while turning our backs on the people who created it.

It’s time to show our seniors the gratitude and support they have earned.

Julie Peetz

St. Louis

Editor’s note: Julie Peetz is the Executive Director of the Missouri Association of Area Agencies on Aging.