Inflation pressures felt by NC's aging population, especially those on fixed incomes

The consumer price index report, released monthly by the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics, shows that inflation rose by nearly 10% in June. That means items you paid for at the store in June 2021 cost nearly 10% more this year.

And not only that. Prices rose by 1.3% between May and June of this year. So if you feel like everything is getting more expensive, that's not all in your head.

While rising consumer prices are hard on everyone, data shows inflation is making life especially difficult on the United States population 65 and older.

Nearly 56 million U.S. adults are above the age of 65, and they are more likely to live in poverty than younger adults.

Younger adults have more upward mobility, whereas those 65 and older often live on fixed incomes. That means while everything is getting more expensive, their income isn't rising.

North Carolina's 65 and older population tells WRAL News that they are struggling to pay for basic necessities like food, housing and medications.

"When I go to the grocery store, I have to be really careful, because so many items are expensive," said Gladys Boone, who lives on a fixed income in Wake County. "I pick it up, I look at it, and I put it back down. I say, 'Oh, I want this, but I can't afford it.' I said, 'Well, maybe next time,' and then I think about, and I know that when I come back next week it's going to be higher."

Others, like lifelong Wake Forest resident Debbie Hill, have temporarily come out of retirement. Hill said she does some administrative work a few times a month, and it's still not enough.

"For example the pharmacy called and said, 'Why didn’t you get all of your medications filled the first of the month?' And I said, 'I can’t afford it,'" she explained.

Carla Payne considers herself a member of the aging population as well as an advocate.

"I’m also a geriatric care manager, so I work with families navigating senior issues," she said.

She said the cost of home care, which many adults 65 and older require, has skyrocketed in the last year, forcing older adults to drain their savings.

"Literally spending everything. Where they thought they could leave assets to their family as an inheritance, now they have nothing," she said.