Perhaps some of us noticed how the media can be used in Monday's New York Times. There was an article on a four-hour WNET show on retirement in which they received 1,400 phone calls concerning this program on retirement. I give this as an example of how the media when it is used in a sensitive way can inform and educate as Dr. Comfort mentioned here. [The article follows:] 1,500 CALL IN DURING 4-HOUR WNET RETIREMENT SHOW (By Lee Dembart) A telethon-style special on retirement and aging was given yesterday afternoon over WNET, and an estimated total of 1,500 viewers called in during the program for advice on problems ranging from Social Security to nursing homes. Forty volunteers backed up by a dozen experts were inundated with calls from the moment the phone numbers were flashed on the screen at noon until four hours later when the program, "Ready or Not," went off the air. "If we had this many calls during pledge week," said Maureen Mangiardi, who produced the show on the noncommercial station, "we wouldn't have to have so many pledge weeks." Most of the callers asked specific questions about pensions, Social Security eligibility, housing, rent and medical care. If the question could be answered it was, and if it couldn't be, the caller was directed to an appropriate agency chosen from a 15-page list that each volunteer had before him. Crane Davis, executive producer and host of the show, said the large response indicated that thousands of elderly people did not know whom to turn to for advice. One of the volunteers, Noam Stampfer, a first-year law student at New York University said many callers he spoke to praised the show and thanked the station. "One said, 'You're doing such a fantastic job!" he said. The program contained five half-hour segments produced by the Manpower Education Institute on retirement problems, two on finances, and one each on health, housing and leisure. In the live portions, totaling an hour and a half, Mr. Davis expanded on specific aspects of the problems with guest experts. One of them, Paul J. Gross, administrator of the pension fund for the paper industry, declared: "Retirement is overrated. A life of leisure is not as fulfilling as younger people think it is." "I'm a believer in education toward retirement," said Marya Mannes, the author. "There is a problem that affects mostly men who are so used for so long to going to the office for an eight-hour day and being useful and being paid. Suddenly they have no office to go to, and there is a terrible loss of self-esteem." But most of the callers had money on their minds, not the social and psychological problems of retirement. One woman said she had a pension plan that allowed her to retire at 55, and she wanted to know if her Social Security would be affected if she did. Max Stamler, head of the midtown district of the Social Security office, explained that her Government pension would be adversely affected, and why. A can called about pension plans for self-employed people, and he was told about Keogh Plans. Another man wanted to know if the new pension law requires his company to give him a pension. It doesn't. "There are a lot of calls from people with very high rent, and what can they do about it," said Adele Trobe of the Jewish Association for Services for the Aged. "If they make more than $6,500 a year, the answer is nothing." One caller asked about getting into public housing. Another wanted to know how to find a good nursing home. Others were concerned about whether they needed private health insurance once they had Medicare. One man in his early 60's called to say he had received and cashed seven Social Security checks though he had not yet retired. He did not have a question. Mr. STREIB. The California conference had a number of recommendations. I suggest a couple here. We think that perhaps money should be set aside for setting up centers which would stimulate and develop aging content in both Government and private sectors of the media production. Second, we think there should be attempts made to develop model projects which would involve older people in the development of programs. There is already some experience in this regard. In New York, for example, in one of the large public housing projects they have closed circuit television where they can communicate with the aged and they respond back to the studio. There is a very interesting program which some of you might want to look into further. I think also there is a need to fund research projects to analyze the content of TV programs, the images developed by the mass media, the characteristics of the viewing audience and the effective use of community resources as they relate to the content and the audiences. I think the existing legislation, title II and title IV in my judgment can be interpreted to provide a legislative base for some of these problems or suggestions regarding the mass media and the aging. That in summary is what I would like to say this morning. Thank you for your time and attention. [Prepared statement follows:] PREPARED STATEMENT OF GORDON F. STREIB, PH. D., CHAIRMAN OF THE PUBLIC INFORMATION COMMITTEE, GERONTOLOGICAL SOCIETY Congressman Brademas, I am Gordon Streib, Graduate Research Professor at the University of Florida, Gainesville, and Chairman of the Public Information Committee of the Gerontological Society. I have just moved to Florida. For the past twenty-five years I have been a member of the faculty at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, where for about twenty of those years I was engaged in teaching and research in aging. I have served in an advisory capacity to various government agencies over the years, including the Social Security Administration, the Administration on Aging, and the Aging Program of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Last year I was appointed to a four-year term as a member of a Study Section of the National Institutes of Health. My writings include the background paper, NEW ROLES IN RETIREMENT, for the 1971 White House Conference on Aging, and I have co-authored with Clement J. Schneider, RETIREMENT IN AMERICAN SOCIETY: IMPACT AND PROCESS. The Gerontological Society, and I personally, strongly support the Amendment of the Older Americans Act so that adequate support is given to training and research with the goal of improving the situation of America's older citizens. First I would like to stress that I am personally very much aware of the urgent need for fiscal responsibility in the appropriation and use of public monies. Those of us who are on the payroll of non-profit organizations-colleges, universities, and professional organizations, like the Gerontological Society-do not need to be told of the importance of prudence in the expenditure of money. We are daily reminded of the need for economies. However, we think that when we consider the situation of research and training regarding the aging one must apply some kind of insurance concept to avoid the short-sighted approach to planning and to appropriating federal funds. One does not expect an immediate payoff for we are looking ahead two or three or five years. The generation of new knowledge and the training of professional leaders is not like stamping out plastic ash trays or throw-away glasses. Sound research and training in gerontology-as in other fields-requires careful thought and long-range commitments to people and to organizations. It is not a short-term matter. I would like to highlight three points in these observations. (1) An excellent feature of the Older Americans Act concerning multi-disciplinary centers; (2) Shortcomings in the implementation of the present Act; (3) A recommendation for a new section in Title IV for research on the mass media and aging. Multi-disciplinary Centers of Gerontology Part C of Title IV-Training and Research of the present Older Americans Act authorizes the Commissioner to make grants to public and private nonprofit agencies, organizations and institutions to establish or to support multidisciplinary centers of gerontology. I regret to say that such centers have not been established or supported as a result of this far-sighted legislation. I call this section far-sighted because it recognizes that studies and programs related to the aging must incorporate information of the biological, behavioral, and social science. Research and teaching in gerontology must be multi-dimensional for the aging human being is an organic whole. The far-sighted nature of the present law is also illustrated by this language. "A grant may be made under Section 421 only if the application creates opportunities for innovative multidisciplinary efforts in teaching, research, and demonstration projects with respect to aging." I hope and trust that in your deliberations concerning the Older Americans Act you will see that something concrete, useful, and innovative results in the next few years in the realm of multidisciplinary centers. They are still needed and could make a valuable contribution to our institutions of higher learning and to programs which will benefit America's older citizens. The second topic which I wish to discuss is the way in which the present Act has been implemented. These remarks may be considered critical but they are not hostile. The point of these comments is to urge a change in how the law is administered. I think that if the intent of the Act is adhered to there will be an improvement in the situation of many of America's 20 million aged. During the current fiscal year funds were severely curtailed for career training in gerontology as provided by Section IVa. The need for professional train; ing in aging has been recognized, but the present administration argues that there is no need for funding such training because the need for trained professionals in many fields has declined and the law of supply and demand should be allowed to take over. This line of reasoning has been applied erroneously to aging. The leaders of the Gerontological Society reject the applicability of the principle to the field of aging. The facts indicate the contrary for there are many areas in which trained persons are needed and will be needed. The Administration has given great attention to short-run courses and training. Many of the graduates of these short courses are performing valuable services for the elderly. But I ask the members of the sub-committee to recognize that behind the short courses are a fund of knowledge, practices and procedures which have been planned and created by professionals who have had in-depth training and experience. Professionally trained personnel in gerontology are the ones to plan, to organize, and to carry out short-term training. The need for both kinds of programs-short-term and career training-is still great. The lack of concern for long-range professional training by the present Administration has also resulted in the decimation of ongoing programs because funding is either inadequate or erratic, or sometimes both. The morale of dedicated educators in gerontology is low in many schools because of the lack of federal support. The amount of money required is small comparatively in order to insure the continuity of acknowledged programs of quality. Moreover, I know of several situations when new programs which would fill gaps could use start-up funding if modest amounts were made available. In the Middle West there are at least two states which have excellent personnel waiting and hoping-indeed, almost begging-for support. I hope you will see that the Act is amended so that training in gerontology receives the federal funding which is needed. It is essential that the broad objectives of the excellent legislation enacted already be adequately supported. Specifically I recommend that funds be specifically earmarked for career training in gerontology. In terms of dollar amounts, we recommend that $12 million be allocated for training; $8 million for existing centers; and $4 million for new centers. My third point concerns the mass media of communication and aging. As you rewrite the amendments to the Older Americans Act we suggest that a new Title be included that specifically consider the mass media of communication and aging. We recommend that in addressing research and the utilization of research for practice that appropriations be legislated for research in all the various mass media of communication-radio, print, video, etc. The Gerontological Society has recently conducted a conference on Media and Aging which was funded by a small grant from the Administration on Aging. The participants included outstanding communications researchers, gerontologists, commercial and public broadcasting personnel and representatives of national aging constituent organizations. In his opening remarks, Dr. Alexander Comfort, a senior fellow at the Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions, succinctly expressed the importance and value of media and the elderly: "Media are very important to the old, as they are to all of us-the old are big users of radio, of television and of the press; as a lifeline, as a source of information and enrichment of their environment (something which in itself combats social deterioration with age) and as a substitute defense against the loneliness which many experience as their chief problem. Media can inform-not only of current events but of rights and facilities, they can entertain, they can activate and educate. Media, moreover, also address the whole citizenry and can project a true and a valuing image of what aging is and is not. They are therefore crucial in correcting the sort of black magic which has been generated about the useless, brainless, sexless old." The results of the California conference stimulate the following recommendations: 1. Under this new Title to the Older Americans Act separate funds be allocated to create media centers which could stimulate and develop aging content in government and private sectors of media production. These centers would carry out research and where appropriate become involved. They would provide programmers, producers, gerontologists and communication researchers a centralized access to the material in the field. 2. Special attention should be given to develop model projects which involve Older People in the development of programs. Some experience regarding this kind of program has been acquired at the Gaylord White Residence in New York under a grant from National Science Foundation. 3. Research projects should be funded which analyze the content of current TV programs, the images developed, the characteristics of the viewing audience and effective use of community resources as the latter relate to program content and the audiences. Both Title 111 and Title IV can provide the broad legislative base concerning aging and the mass media. Congressman Brademas and your colleagues and staff, I want to thank you for this opportunity to testify before this sub-committee this morning. Mr. BRADEMAS. Thank you very much, sir. Do you wish to make any comment? Miss LILIENFELL. No. Mr. BRADEMAS. We will begin the questioning with Mr. Cornell. Mr. CORNELL. I was just interested in your recommendation and how that compares with the existing situation. You recommended $12 million for training programs. Mr. STREIB. I think it is 712 now. I probably should be better with arithmetic than I am when I come before this body, but the administration did not ask for the amount that we are requesting here. Mr. CORNELL. Then you made the statement, I believe, that the administration claimed that there was sufficient personnel? Mr. STREIB. They claim that, yes, that there are excess personnel in many professional fields as you know, physicists, historians, and all kinds of people are looking for jobs. They say, well, no need to train any more gerontologists. But actually, I think this is a very growing field as you know from listening to this testimony. We think there is need to look forward not just next week or next year because it takes, 3, 4, 5 years depending on the level of professional development you are interested in, to train someone. If it is in the biomedical area or in the sociological or social work field it takes a long time to get them through the curriculum that you need to give them the right to competence. Mr. CORNELL. Would you disagree with the view then that at the present time there is sufficient personnel? Mr. STREIB. Oh, yes, I would. Mr. MILLER. No questions. Mr. BRADEMAS. I would just like to ask you one question, Mr. Streib, about the nature of the American Gerontological Society. What kinds of people belong to it? Who are embraced within your group? Mr. STREIB. It is a professional society of 3,000, 3,500 members divided into four sections, medical, biological, social and psychological, and practice which would include social work, public health people. These are the four major divisions. The two largest groups are the social, psychological and the practice division. They comprise over half of the membership. They are mostly people in academic and governmental and private research organizations, teachers, researchers, and practitioners. Mr. BRADEMAS. I am very grateful to you as is the subcommittee for coming. I am especially interested in your suggestion about the impact of the media on the lives of the elderly. We shall certainly take into account your suggestion. Thank you very much. Mr. STREIB. Thank you. Mr. BRADEMAS. The subcommittee is adjourned until 10 o'clock on Monday next. [Whereupon, at 1:10 p.m., the committee was adjourned, to be reconvened at 10 a.m., Monday, February 3, 1975.] 48-087 O 75 16 |