Senior service providers across state facing cutbacks

Beatrice O’Donnell lit up at the knock on the door.  

“Hey Beah!” shouted Bill Gardner, a volunteer delivery driver for Meals on Wheels, as he entered the 94-year old’s home. 

O’Donnell lives at the Village Greens in Kalispell in a cozy home with family photos lining the several countertops and a view of the Whitefish River. She had left the door askew for Gardner, knowing that he’d stop by to deliver her hot meal, which that day was hamburger soup with pickled beets, biscuits and applesauce. She keeps the monthly menu close to her recliner, so she always knows what meal to expect.  

“That’s what keeps me going!” she said smiling, pointing to the foil plate Gardner placed on the tray in front of her where she had also laid out some China plates.  

“I like to be spoiled,” she said with a laugh.    

O’Donnell, who lives by herself, relies on the Meals on Wheels program run by the Flathead County Agency on Aging to bring her hot food Monday through Friday at noon. The organization distributes frozen meals for the weekend.  

But the program that feeds her and hundreds of other older adults countywide is facing possible cutbacks due to a decade of stagnated state funding amid climbing operational costs. 

And Flathead County is not alone. Agencies on Aging across the state that work to address the needs of older Montanans at a local level may face service cuts despite a growing demand. 

“Every other Agency on Aging in Montana is struggling to keep providing services,” said Carla Dyment, director of the Flathead County Agency on Aging.  

Aside from Meals on Wheels, the agencies run senior centers, provide in-home assistance, caregiver support and Medicare consultations. Because each organization has its own business model, various services at different agencies are at risk.  

To help avoid cutting services, the Montana Area Agencies on Aging Association requested an annual $2 million in additional funding from the state Legislature.  

“The funds are not for expansion but are needed to avoid substantial cuts to services,” read a letter to the legislature signed by Lisa Sheppard, vice-president for the association and CEO of Missoula Aging Services.  

“Without the additional funds our programs are in jeopardy,” the letter read.  

And without those services, many vulnerable older adults would have to enter Medicaid or nursing facilities prematurely, increasing costs to the state, according to the missive.  

“This isn’t even an ask to grow, this is an ask to keep our heads above water,” Dyment said. 

Without the additional funding, “We’re going to have to make hard decisions about what services we provide and how many people we can serve,” Sheppard said. 

While federal funding has increased to somewhat keep pace with inflation, state funding has not. For 2025, around $6.7 million was doled out to the agencies, which is roughly $500,000 more than what was given by the 2015 Legislature (a 7.6% increase).

During that time, costs rose 32% due to inflation, according to data from the Area Agencies on Aging Association. In the county, employee and food costs have more than doubled since 2019, according to data provided by the Flathead County Agency on Aging. 

Without the funding, Sheppard estimates not being able to serve around 630 people.  

“And that is conservative,” she said. 

There are nine Agencies on Aging in Montana that vary in size and service. Some are run by county departments while others operate through non-profits.

Flathead County nutrition program cooks roughly 500 meals a day to disperse throughout the county. About 70% of the meals are delivered through the Meals on Wheels program, which is eligible for adults over 60. The rest are served at several community dining locations, free for eligible seniors and $8 a pop for the public.   

To keep the gears churning on the expansive program, the agency relies on roughly 250 volunteers. 

Seniors make up nearly 30% of Flathead County’s population, which is higher than the state average. 

“You’re talking almost one in three individuals are over 60,” Dyment said.  

And that number is expected to grow.   

Being the only subsidized home and community-based program for older adults who are low- and middle-income folks, the agencies across Montana are helping fill a gap in needed services, Dyment said. 

Most older adults don’t qualify for Medicaid but still need assistance and senior living facilities are costly, she said. Many want to age in their own homes.  

Like the other agencies, Flathead County Agency on Aging relies heavily on state and federal funding. Thirty eight percent of its budget comes from the federal government, 17% from the state and 21% from client contributions and community donations.  

That leaves a 23% or a roughly $250,000 funding gap for the nutrition program, which includes Meals on Wheels. Dyment has filled that gap using Covid-19 relief money, but that pool has dried up. 

Dyment hopes that if the state Legislature accepts the funding request, that gap may begin to narrow.  

“It’s going to take a couple of things to bridge that gap, and the state funding will play a pivotal role in that happening, but it won’t be enough still,” she said.  

Other agencies may face cutbacks whether the funding comes or not.  

“There are still maybe some areas where we may have cutbacks. It’s amazing how expensive the programs have gotten over just food,” said Joe Gilboy, the executive director for Southwest Montana Aging and Disability Services. “The average cost a meal to produce in my area is $15 to $20.”  

The Southwest Montana organization serves Beaverhead, Deer Lodge, Granite, Madison, Powell and Silver Bow counties.   

Gilboy has been in the position for 24 years and watched as demand for services has grown. Since he took on the role, he has seen Montana export a lot of its younger people, leaving behind isolated seniors as families move out.  

Federal funding also plays a key role in operations. The money comes through the Old Americans Act passed by congress in 1965, which was a response to concern over a lack of community social services.  

Despite relying on federal funds, Dyment said she is not concerned about President Donald Trump’s efforts to temporarily withhold grants and loans.  

“Meals on Wheels in Flathead County will continue as usual,” she said.  

Sheppard, though, said she is concerned about federal funding.  

“We have no idea, just like anybody else, we don’t have any idea what’s going to ultimately happen at the federal level,” she said.  

While money is dwindling, a desire for contact and connection among a growing senior population has not. Dyment considers Meals on Wheels as more than just a food delivery service.  

“It’s a face-to-face connection ... It’s a wellness check,” she said.  

Back in Village Greens, O’Donnell looks forward to volunteer visits each day. They often stay and chat with her before continuing their route.  

“I love people who come in the door,” she said.  

O’Donnell said she also likes being able to stay in her home.  

“It’s a lovely place to spend my time, and I’ve had a lot of time ... The ducks and I live here,” she said, looking out over the snowy river where fowls spend their time in the summer months. 

Reporter Jack Underhill can be reached at 758-4407 and junderhill@dailyinterlake.com.

    Glenn Snyder, Jim Rychwalski and fellow Meals on Wheels volunteers prepare meals at the Kalispell Senior Center on Friday, Jan. 31. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
  

    Meals on Wheels volunteer Glenn Snyder ladels hamburger stew into a tray as he and fellow volunteers prepare meals at the Kalispell Senior Center on Friday, Jan. 31. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    Meals on Wheels volunteer Eileen Turman loads meals into her vehicle for delivery outside the Kalispell Senior Center on Friday, Jan. 31. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
  

    A Meals on Wheels meal consisting of hamburger stew, beets, a homemade buttermilk biscuit and a cup of applesauce, not shown, at the Kalispell Senior Center on Friday, Jan. 31. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
  

    Meals on Wheels volunteer Lauren LaFontaine packages the hot meals into insulated bags for delivery at the Kalispell Senior Center on Friday, Jan. 31. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)