If you are older than 70, the chances are good that your next birthday won't be happy.

The recession will hit most people, but none harder than retirees who are too old to return to the work force. They are stuck with the consequences of the economic downturn, and they have few ways to help themselves.

Senior citizens will probably have to cope largely on their own, because so far no bailouts are planned for them. While financial institutions get billions of dollars in support, and homeowners increasingly benefit from plans to keep them in their homes by lowering mortgage payments, nobody proposes help for seniors.

Senior citizens are the recession's forgotten people.

Social Security benefits will soon increase by 5.8 percent, raising the average payment by $63 a month. While the increase will help, it will not solve the problem. Most pension plans, those that do not provide fixed benefits, are likely to see big declines in monthly checks. Don't even think about the impact on 401(k) retirement plans.

Investment gurus suggest that people ought to be buying bargain-priced stock these days or to hold onto what they have. They say that the market will recover over time and investments, including those in retirement plans, will again produce prosperity.

After the Great Depression that began in 1929, the stock market did not reach the level from which the decline had started until 1954 -- a quarter of a century later. Seniors do not have the luxury of waiting anywhere nearly that long to get on with their lives.

Younger people may experience tough times, but their long-term outlook is far from bleak. The market recovery will make them whole and then allow them to increase their wealth.

But early retirement is going to become rare. People in their 60s may be able to get along only by remaining in the work force instead of retiring. Some people will have to come out of retirement and will not be able to be too picky about the jobs they get.

For older seniors, such options are limited. They are going to have to get along with reduced savings and lower pensions. The recession may destroy the chance for many to enjoy the golden years.

In Maine, about 140,000 people are age 70 or older, and they account for almost 11 percent of the state's population. That is a significantly higher share of the population for people in that age range than for the United States as a whole.

According to the New York Times, there are already signs that seniors are cutting back on prescription drugs. They either simply stop taking drugs when there is no obvious effect or they cut back, taking a daily pill only a few times a week.

Taking fewer pills may look like an easy way to economize, but it is high stakes gambling. Health problems are likely to increase, and life spans to be reduced. To provide care to those who can no longer afford it, insurance rates for everybody else will increase.

There are also signs that people, many of them older, are not paying utility bills, according to the Wall Street Journal. For one Pennsylvania utility, cutoffs following non-payment have gone up by 78 percent in one year. While regulators try to prevent disconnections, especially during the winter, they cannot deal with people who simply live in the cold to save on their bills.

For some seniors, Medicaid and public assistance will be needed. But many older people in Maine refuse to ask for "welfare."

With all this bad news, seniors are almost certain to be offered get-rich-quick schemes that promise to boost their resources. Inevitably, no matter how tempting, they are always too good to be true.

Seniors also may be tempted by reverse mortgages, now being heavily advertised on television. These mortgages, which provide a loan that must only be repaid when the home is sold, are perfectly legal. Some have high fees, and in some cases, borrowers can outlive the proceeds. They should only be taken after getting advice from a government or non-profit counselor, not somebody who charges for the advice or who benefits from the deal.

What is needed is targeted government attention to the problems of many seniors suffering from the impact of the recession, not as candidates for welfare but as the most innocent victims of the downturn. Washington and Augusta need to focus on directing some of the economic recovery funds to those most in need of help.

In its scramble to restore the economy, government needs to remember the forgotten.

Gordon L. Weil has written books and articles on economic, governmental and historical subjects. He served in international, U.S., and Maine government positions and is a long-time energy consultant and publisher.