A hamper full of laundry and a grocery bag: Two common household items that seem easy enough to empty or fill. Easy enough for people who don’t need long-term services and support.

As a home-care aide, I provide vital services for seniors and people with disabilities – people whose laundry requires special treatments and whose dietary needs can’t rely on whim, but require careful planning.

The current state Senate budget proposal for the 2013-2015 biennium would cut funding for home-care services, including laundry and shopping. Some lawmakers believe – wrongly – that volunteers will come fill in to help my …

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The state Senate operating and capital budgets proposed in the past two weeks would cut housing, health care and child care for vulnerable citizens in these ways:

• Eliminating the Aged, Blind and Disabled program.

• Cutting state homelessness programs by 52 percent.

• Increasing the number of people experiencing homelessness during the 2013-2015 biennium by 20,400 more people.

• Drastically cutting a variety of safety net programs like Temporary Assistance to Needy Families and Working Connections Child Care.

• Significantly cutting the Housing Trust Fund

While an education-focused budget for K-12 and higher education will help solve many of …

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Organizations that sponsor runs and walks should make some consideration for seniors who need the exercise to maintain a healthy lifestyle. How about a minimum entrance fee and a signed waiver that would eliminate sponsors’ liability responsibility?

One of the benefits of this would be the opportunity to help the seniors and the sponsor’s cause, most of which are health-related. The interaction of seniors and the others would be socially beneficial to all concerned. Hopefully if one group starts this program, others will follow.

I am 80 now but still do walks and ride an adult trike. I did the …

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Legislators in Olympia need to make protecting vulnerable individuals a priority. They need to follow the will of the voters and implement Initiative 1163, which has been passed twice in three years.

The initiative protects seniors and people with disabilities and enables folks to stay in their homes versus having to be placed in expensive nursing homes. Washington voters have spoken loud and clear: Protect our most vulnerable and implement I-1163.

I totally agree with the letter submitted recently about a tax break for seniors. Fixed income is exactly that: fixed. So why can’t other things be “fixed”?

My husband and I have thought many times about ways seniors can be assisted. The big one is why can’t property taxes be reduced or frozen when seniors reach 62? Why should seniors worry about being able to stay in their homes because everything keeps going up except their income? That’s ridiculous.

I know the state has the exemption for low-income seniors, which is helpful but it’s not that easy to …

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In the past week, we have received three bills all having increases in amount owed, with no increases in our benefits from the creditors.

Our home insurance increased 24 percent since last year, our utility bill and cable/Internet bills increased substantially, and property taxes are up 4.37 percent. The cost of auto fuel has increased 38.3 percent over last year.

We understand that we can control some of our expenses by turning down the heat, using less water, changing to basic cable and Internet, but that is not the entire point.

We are senior citizens, on fixed incomes. Because of …

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