Pennsylvania senators take on senior loneliness in bipartisan roundtable

Pennsylvania’s two senators made a rare joint, bipartisan appearance in Pittsburgh Thursday to ramp up the government’s response to the national epidemic of lonely seniors.

Researchers say one in three seniors report feeling lonely, and loneliness is tied to various health metrics and the rate of mental decline in older adults.

During a roundtable at the federal office building, workers who deal with elderly members of the population told John Fetterman, a Democrat, and Dave McCormick, a Republican, that oftentimes their volunteers were the only human contact a senior might have all day, and those interactions average less than five minutes.

The four witnesses implored the senators to increase funding for programs that socialize seniors and help them interact with members of other generations, like teenagers.

They said funding is often separated and rigid, leaving loopholes – like paying for the meals delivered by Meals on Wheels, but not the gas needed to make the delivery.

One witness suggested the government treat social isolation like the flu, referencing government efforts to increase vaccination rates from 15% to 50% in the early 2000s.

Fetterman, who has rankled Democrats by shifting to the right since his election, praised the two senators’ ability to “work together,” and said he would resist any efforts to create unnecessary partisan animosity.

McCormick in turn praised Fetterman as a capable partner and said issues like senior health were important to Western Pennsylvanians and required cooperative leadership.

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