Poverty pervasive among elderly

At 93, Helene Schnagel doesn't go out to the beauty parlor or restaurants anymore. Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

It's not only tough for her to get around with a walker and cane, but her Social Security benefits just don't stretch as far as they used to.

"I have no savings left in my bank account, and it's very difficult for me to pay my way, the way I used to," said Schnagel. "Before, I had a living husband and sister, and everyone chipped in. Now, it's a bit on the hard side."

Schnagel, who lives in Tarzana, is one of an astonishing number of older citizens in Los Angeles County and California who are unable to pay for their most-basic needs, according to a new study by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research and the Oakland-based Insight Center for Community Economic Development.