With so many older adults living alone and in poverty, some Sevier County seniors will undoubtedly struggle to make ends meet this holiday season. That’s why the local Home Instead Senior Care® office has partnered with retailers and community organizations to make sure isolated seniors receive gifts and companionship through the Be a Santa to a Senior®program.

“Seniors faced with medical bills and the high cost of living can find they have little left at the end of the year,” said Christina O’Brien, owner of the Home Instead Senior Care office serving Hamblen, Sevier, Jefferson, Grainger and Cocke counties. “That’s not the only issue, though. Personal needs may become magnified for so many living alone with no one to share their problems.”

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 9 percent of U.S. seniors 65 and older are living in poverty and 27 percent are widowed.*

With the support of local nonprofits and other organizations that work with seniors, area retailers, volunteers and members of the community, the local Home Instead Senior Care office will collect and distribute gifts to seniors who might otherwise spend the holiday alone.

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