1996 Buick Somerset steering is hard

1996 Buick Somerset mileage: 67,443. I just bought an 1996 Buick Somerset from the original owner who is no longer able to drive. She has kept the car immaculate. I have (2) questions; 1) When cold, the car steers hard at a standstill but then becomes easy. I added a small amount of power steering fluid but have been told the rack is probably bad? 2) The automatic transmission shifts smoothly, but when I slow down to around 30 mph, the engine lugs and it seems that the tranny doesn't want to down shift when you press on the gas. It does not stall when I come to a full stop (I had a Skylark that did that, it was caused by a faulty solenoid or something which cost me $300 for the dealer to replace. Could the TV cable need an adjustment or replacement? Thanks!