Over the past 13 years in which I have practiced bankruptcy law, I have noticed a clear trend in the demographics of my clients. Year by year, a greater percentage of my clients are elderly. Oklahoma senior citizens, like their counterparts across the USA, are filing bankruptcy more often than ever before as they become victims of a double-whammy from having to work due to a lack of retirement savings and then not being able to work because of ill health. And more often than not, these senior citizens are living below the poverty line. The majority of their debts are medical bills not covered by Medicare and credit cards used for groceries and other necessary living expenses. So when the health problems come, and they are no longer able to work, today’s senior citizens are doing something they never would have imagined – filing bankruptcy.
Wilona Harris, 71, filed bankruptcy two years ago because of medical bills she and her husband accrued.
“This phone rang all the time. It made you not even want to pick up. Sometimes you think, ‘Let me go jump off a bridge somewhere,’” Harris said at her Jacksonville home. “You have to cry and try and figure out what in the world could I do.”
At least now, Harris says, she can fall asleep without crying.
For more on the increased number of senior citizens filing bankruptcy, read this USA Today article.
If you are struggling with debt problems and would like to know more about how bankruptcy may be able to help you, contact me today by phone or email to schedule a FREE initial consultation. I would count it a privilege to be able to visit with you in a relaxed and confidential environment where I’ll answer all of your questions in plain English and give you the straight scoop on the pros and cons of bankruptcy as related to your specific situation.
