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the inability to save money throughout
lífe in preparatíon for old age.
Poor health, lonelíness, and poverty
are also effects of a yet more basic,
underlying cause. These effects could be
removed if we understood the pnrpose
for life and grasped the proper role of
the elderly in our society.
But few are concerned with such
long-range issues in a youth-oriented
society. Being old in a society that wor·
ships youth can mean lonelíness, isola–
tion and poverty.
Most studies and plans to solve the
problems of the elderly have not been
able to center any reforms around this
basic concept. The reason, of course, is
easy to see. It would require putting
into practice a revolutionary new social
order.
Most programs to help the aged deal
with their immediate physical problems
only.
They have ended in frustration, a
frustration that has plagued nations
throughout history.
Many nations and governmental lead-
L MS
FTHE
AG
D
The
PLAlN TRUTH
hs ask, "How do we solve the
scemingly insurmountable problems of
inadequate income, poor health, lack of
proper nutrition, lack of housing, not
enough transportation ?"
Presidential Conference
on Aging
U. S. President Nixon has called for
a White House Conference in late 1971
to consider the needs and role of the
elderly.
When first discussing the conference,
the President said: "We have made
progress in meeting the needs of older
people, but there still are many serious
and
UNSOLVED
problems... the major
and overriding problem is that we as a
people have not developed a
real
phi–
losophy of aging."
A "philosophy of aging"? What
would it mean in a socíety that is pri·
marily concerned wíth - and indeed
worships - youth )
Where do the elderly fit into our
·society? What about their skills and
HEALTH
A major overriding problem of the
elderly is the problem of poor physical
health.
Wrote Edgar May, in bis book,
The
JIYasted Amerita11s,
1964,
"Our senior citi·
zens are sick more frequently and for
mo~;e
prolonged periods than the rest of the
population. Of every
100
persons age
65
or
over,
80
suffer sorne kind of chronic ail·
ment,
28
have heart disease or high blood
pressure,
27
bave arthritis or rheumatism,
10
have impaired vision, aod
17
bave hear–
ing impairments. SLxteeu are hospitalized
one or more times annually. Tbey require
three times as many days of hospital care
every year as persons under thc age of
65"
(p.
94).
All in al!, the aged spend on the average
twite
as mucb money for medica! care as
do younger Americans.
According to the Office of Health Eco·
nomics, obesity
is
another p,roblem
among the eldedy. In Great Britain,
for example,
51
perceot of tbe males
aod
59
percent of tbe females
60
to
69
are overweight. Of al! the
curses that shorten life aod re·
strict health, overweight comes
first.
Four out of five suffer
constantly from at Jeast
one, often more than one,
chtonic condition. And
accident rates go up
with age, causing many
forms of
illness
and
disability among the
elderly.
March
1971
wisdom? How can those in middle age
prepare for the future?
A Massive Problem
The problem of aging is massive -
both from the magnitude of the diffi–
culties involved and the sheer weight of
numbers of citizens involved.
There are 20 million Americans, 8
million Britons, one million Austr.al ians
and over one and a half million Cana–
dians aged 65 or older.
In Britain, tens of thousands of older
people are living in abject squalor,
without even basic amenities.
According to a recent report pub·
lished by the British Help the Aged
Organization: "One and a half million
old people live alone and 300,000 are
in urgent need of sheltered accom·
modation - groups of flatlets super·
vised by a warden.
"350,000 are without any of. the
three basic facilities - the use of a
bath, kitchen, or indoor lavatory.
"Two million old people have access
POVERTY
A full one tbird of tbe elderly are eking
out an existence at or below poverty leve!.
The median income for a single persoo
over
65
in the
U.
S. is
$1,055
per year, for
a couple it is
$2,530.
lo
tbe United States
more tban two million subsist on Social
Security alone.
A
surprisingly large ournber
of others qualify for Social Securiry but
are not getting it because they
do1z't know
tbey qualify.
On welfare in the
U.
S., the average
rnaximum draw is
$184.00
monthly. To get
tbis maximurn draw for Old Age Assistance
one has to be a very special case.
Tbe Bureau of Labor Statistics corrobo–
rated tbis by compiling a "modest but
adequate" budget for the average elderly
couple. They priced the basic items con·
sidered necessary
to
life in
20
major cities
in the United States, then averaged tbe
costs. Based on tbis budget the average
elderly couple would oeed
$3,010
a year
to have even a modest living. Thus with
tbeir
$2,530
average annual iocorne tbe
average couple does not have enough for
even a modest budget. Of course there are
vadations, but this sbould give sorne idea
of tbe pwblems of poverty many elderly
face.
lo order to have any type of physically
rewarding life at all, an elderly person
in
tbis society usually must find sorne way to
augment bis income. There are many tbings
tbat can be done, but whar
ir
really boíls
clown
to
is tbis:
1)
he must either lower
bis expenses, or 2) find a pan-time income,
or sorne other rneans to supplerneot bis
regular income.