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"Such widespread poverty forced people nearly out of the cash economy. As the late Benjamin Roth... wrote in his recently published The Great Depression: A Diary, 'In most cases the people moving to the farm feel they will at least be sure of plenty of food for their families.'"

"Nearly 24% of Americans older than 65 have incomes below the poverty threshold... And the United States, Ireland, South Korea and Mexico have the highest old-age poverty rates among the 30 OECD countries."

"Yes, they have lost equity in their homes and money in their retirement accounts; so have other Americans, many of whom face higher costs and more uncertain income than seniors. One measure of seniors' relative economic status: Children are twice as likely to be living in poverty."

"The RTA board favors limiting free rides to low-income seniors. Reducing the number of free rides would produce $37 million in new annual revenue for the CTA, Metra and Pace, officials said."

"Since its origins in the Great Depression, Social Security has been a significant buffer between older Americans and poverty. It also provides subsidies to people who are disabled or who are survivors of workers who die prematurely"

"By empowering older adults to remain safe, happy and healthy in their homes, the city helped reduce the risk that seniors or their families would end up homeless or institutionalized. This year, funding is being redirected away from seniors..."

"Two programs in the Bluegrass hope to answer those questions. One is geared to low-income job seekers 50 and older, and the other is open to any older job seeker who is computer-savvy."

"Medicare pays for the first 100 days of an elderly person's stay in a nursing home. After that, Medicaid becomes the only source of payment for the low-income elderly. Indiana spends about $1 billion a year on nursing home costs for the elderly through Medicaid."

"They also talked about community-based mental health alternatives to nursing homes for residents who now funnel in from psychiatric wards, jail cells and homeless shelters."

"Around 30 million U.S. households are currently eligible for the WAP, which provides a variety of completely free weatherization improvements to home owners and renters who qualify. To be eligible, your income needs to be at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level."

"An hour later, she and 20 others gathered in a dull carpeted room at a community center. Most were in their 50s, their bodies signposts for hard-lived lives. Many were overweight. Malnutrition had left some severely bowlegged. Most had diabetes -- the disease that stole Rios' vision."

The first case, in 2002, was settled with a confidentiality agreement. The latest suit claims the complex, occupied by low-income elderly residents, 'should have remediated the problems before recruiting people to reside in these units with impaired indoor air quality.'"