![Minnesota Government Shutdown Hits Senior Services](http://townsquare.media/site/67/files/2010/12/minnesota_news_blue.jpg?w=980&q=75)
Minnesota Government Shutdown Hits Senior Services
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - A state hotline that helps seniors is one of many casualties in Minnesota's state government shutdown.
The Senior Linkage Line is a resource for older people and their caregivers on things like finding housing options and untangling health insurance and drug plans. But callers now get a recording that invites them to leave a message but warns there's no telling when it will be returned.
Dawn Simonson, director of the Metropolitan Area Agency on Aging, says it's a popular service that helped about 30,000 people and their caregivers last year. She said the agency was hustling to publicize a local number, but would get fewer calls.
Simonson's agency is also laying off three specialists who help seniors transition back home after temporary stays in nursing homes.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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