Well, tomorrow is April 15th -- tax due date! If you've filed your taxes already, then congratulations. If you haven't, then I imagine your stress level must be fairly elevated. Today I want to talk about a portion of our population that doesn't have to file taxes, but whose stress levels is most likely higher.

Recently, I had the opportunity to attend a presentation by Vera Haile of the Advisory Committee for San Francisco's Department of Aging & Adult Services and of the Long-Term Care Coordinating Council of the Human Services Agency of SF. As a former senior center manager, Vera has experienced first hand the dilemma of the elderly poor.

I am not going to tug on your heartstrings and relay sentimental human-interest stories -- we'll leave that to broadcast TV. I just want to lay out the facts, specifically for high cost areas like San Francisco. For 2009 the Federal Poverty Line for a family of one or two is between $10,800 to $14,500 per year. However, according to the recently published UCLA Health Policy Research Brief, the cost of living in San Francisco County for an elderly couple renting is $37,000 per year. Even for seniors that owns their home, the cost of living for a couple is 27,300. These costs factor in only their basic needs such as housing, food, out-of-pocket medical expenses, and transportation.

What this means is that over 60% of all elders age 65 or older do not have sufficient income to support their basic needs. In San Francisco County, this translates to more that 65,000 elders below "our" poverty line. The elderly poor cuts across ethnic lines: 6 in 10 Latinos, 8 in 10 African Americans, and 7 in 10 Asians. If we use the Federal guideline, only 9% of elders are considered poor. But try living on $10,800 in San Francisco. And no, the answer is not to relocate elders out of San Francisco.

So what is the answer? I wish I knew. But I do know that people like Vera Haile are working fervently on the problem. I think the first step is building awareness of it. She and her compatriots are advocating passage of AB324, the Elder Economic Dignity Act in California. AB324 will assist policymakers in better allocating limited resources, prepare for the needs of aging baby boomers, and help us make more informed decisions about our own retirement decisions.

So, while you go to file your taxes, cursing at the complexity and the cost, reflect, be thankful that you have sufficient income to rant about your taxes, and take a deep breath.