70-Year-Old Says Social Security Leaves Her $200 After Rent — Now She's Job Hunting: 'I Wish People in Power Would Think More With Their Heart'

Olivia Moreno Carlson didn't picture 70 looking like this.

The Santa Fe, New Mexico, widow spent her life working retail, lifting boxes, caring for her husband as he battled multiple sclerosis, and doing everything she could to stay afloat. Now, after a lifetime of work, she's back on the job hunt—because Social Security just isn't cutting it.

"I live off of Social Security, which does not pay all my bills," Carlson told CBS Evening News. "That's why I'm looking for work."

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After rent, she's left with less than $200 a month to survive on.

Carlson is one of the growing number of seniors caught in the gap between the promise of retirement and the reality of inflation. In CBS's "Cost of Living" series, she shared her daily routine—walking to the library to search for jobs, checking on her Walgreens application, and trying to find affordable food in a world where prices seem to rise every time she blinks.

She's not just applying online. She's walking into businesses and asking, face to face, if they're hiring. At one point in the segment, she checks on her application status at Walgreens and is met with a familiar line: "We don't have anything open right now, but keep an eye on it."

It's not that she wants to keep working. It's that she has to. "I cannot afford to retire," she said. "I did not think that being 70 would be like this."

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Carlson finds comfort in her Bible study group, where she admits there are moments she feels like giving up. The group gives her something to hold onto. But the financial stress never leaves.

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"My greatest obstacle right now is being able to support myself," she said, pausing to steady her voice. "It is hard for me just to survive."

She had one message for those making decisions that affect people like her.

"I wish people in power would think more with their heart."

Her story isn't just heartbreaking—it's a quiet indictment of a system that's left many aging Americans with too little to live on, and no roadmap for what happens next. Carlson worked hard her entire life. Now she's just trying to make it through the month.

Her experience reflects a broader trend: more older Americans are working out of necessity. In 2024, 38.3% of employed Americans aged 65 and older held part-time jobs, while nearly one in five of that age group remained in the workforce overall — up from around 10% four decades ago.  

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Social Security is supposed to promise peace of mind, but experts warn its cost-of-living adjustments aren't keeping pace with reality. While payments recently rose to a record average of $2,002 a month, inflation often outstrips these modest annual increases. 

Her message is both heartbreaking and politically potent. According to Pew Research, as the U.S. population ages—by 2032, adults over the age of 65 are expected to make up 8.6% of the labor force up from 6.6% in 2022—more seniors like Carlson will face a choice between working past retirement age or risking financial hardship. 

So what's the fix? Experts recommend beefing up retirement savings, delaying benefit claims when possible, or supplementing income through part-time or remote work. But for Carlson, and many others, it comes down to empathy: to officials and policy makers who hold the levers of Social Security.

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