Thumbs down: Losing perspective on a needed program

Growing old is challenging enough without losing one’s eyesight in the process. Thanks to programs such as one at the Santa Rosa-based Earle Baum Center, seniors who are dealing with sight loss have received training on how to adapt - how to cook and cross streets safely, how to use computers and smart phones and how to care for themselves.

But as Staff Writer Martin Espinoza reported, the funding for this program is disappearing due to a maddening change in federal law. For the Earle Baum Center, that means the loss of some $200,000 for a service that helps 75 people. That’s a major financial blow to the center as well.

What’s the holdup? Under a change in federal definitions, “homemakers” such as those who benefit from this program, will no longer be considered a valid workforce category. Therefore, those who receive training under this vocational rehabilitation program will have to find help elsewhere. Thankfully, some legislative leaders have promised to find alternative funding. All the same, the message to the 1,000 or so senior citizens statewide who benefit from this program appears to be clear: Get a job. Thumbs down on that.