Five members of the Federal faction with the signing of the Crime against our senior citizens." Council on the Aging were sworn in on Oct. 21 at a White House ceremony in which President Ford praised FCA's contributions to America's elderly. John Paul Stevens, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, administered the oath of office to Mrs. John William Devereux, Msgr. Charles J. Fahey, John B. Martin, Harry Holland, and Nat T. Winston, Jr. Bertha Adkins, Chairperson of the Council, was sworn in at the same time in Augusta, Maine, where she was addressing the Governor's Conference on Aging. At the ceremony, President Ford said that "in the two years since its foundation, the Council has made very substantial contributions to the well-being of our older Americans." The President noted that since the 1971 White House Conference on Aging, significant strides have been made in bettering conditions for the Nation's elderly. He cited the 50% increase in social security benefits, the National Network of State and Area Agencies on Aging, the National Nutrition Program for the Elderly, which is now serving 300,000 meals daily, and special housing programs as major accomplishments in behalf of older Americans. The President called inflation one of the most serious challenges facing older people today. "We have," he said, "cut inflation in half, but if our older citizens are to fully enjoy their later years, it must be cut further, and it will." Mr. Ford also called for strengthening the financial base of the social security system and expressed satis Control Act. One of the Act's provisions, he noted, "requires that State crime control plans deal specifically and very firmly with the criminal attacks which are made In concluding, the President expressed conviction that the Council members "will provide outstanding leadership in the months and years ahead." National AAA's Association Appoints New Executive Director The National Association of Area Agencies on Aging, Inc., has appointed John C. Muntone of Potomac, Md. as Executive Director for the organization's new headquarters in Washington, D.C. Dr. Muntone previously served as Associate Director of the National Retired Teachers Association, and as Staff Director of the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Education. He is also a former faculty member of Pennsylvania State University. The organization opened its national office at Suite 503, 1828 L St. N. W., Washington, D. C. 20036. New officers for the organization, elected at the 1976 annual meeting in St. Louis, Mo., include Jacquelyn L. Nowak of Carlisle, Pa., President; Hidde Van Duym of Roundup, Mont., First Vice-President; Leon Harper of Los Angeles, Calif., Second Vice-President; John Riggle of ond Vice-President; John Riggle of Indianapolis, Ind., Secretary; and Margaret Roman of New Orleans, La.. Treasurer. One of the first services to be developed by the organization's national office will be the creation Dr. John C. Muntone of an up-to-date inventory of area agencies on aging throughout the Nation, and a profile on each agency. The office will also be initiating a newsletter for the AAA's. Association membership is limited to designated area agencies on aging established under the provisions of the Older Americans Act of 1965, as amended. Kevin Chalcroft (left) and Robert Jones work on their first job, placing security mesh on a rear door. Mr. Thaddeus Taylor (standing) addresses the senior home security crew during an orientation session. The he St. Louis, Missouri Area Agency on Aging and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department are working to counteract the fear of violent crime among the city's elderly. The two organizations have established a Senior Home Security program which hires older workers to install security devices in the homes of elderly city residents. The project is funded through a grant from the National Council on the Aging. "We are running about 20 calls per day to the Police Department with inquiries about our program," notes John Kelly, director of the project. "We have hired over 60 handy men and women, secretaries, team assistants, and directors of site programs." Peeko-viewers have been installed in all 112 doors at the Vaughn Senior Housing Center. Although teams are being trained daily to perform the work, over 200 are on a waiting list. The most requested items to be installed in homes are window window latches and door locks. According to Steve D'Angelo, assistant director of the project, "We have used every heavy-duty cylinder deadbolt lock in the State of Missouri and in Illinois south of Springfield. The type of lock we use is a new model, which just came out last year, so stores didn't stock too many of Senior Home Security them. We recently received a ship- The program has recently expanded to involve the addition of a grass-cutting crew led by 93-yearold Gust Milligan. Three other men working with him, one of whom is 83 years old, cut an average of three lawns a day for the elderly. An ex-drill instructor in the Marines and a recent graduate of the Manpower Center in St. Louis were Manpower Center in St. Louis were also hired through the Center to provide training for handymen in building and maintenance. Their "crash course" covered a three week period ending in June, requiring 260 hours of instruction for enrollees. The Badenfest Community Corporation, Walnut Park Senior Citizens Center, and four other sites make referrals to the Senior Home Security program. Discussions have been made with the Human Development Corporation concerning deprived areas and plans are being developed for the Comprehensive Manpower Program, a part of the Human Development Corporation, to make a grant of $10,000 for the purchase of materials for seniors in these areas. Another $10,000 may be forthcoming from the Neighborhood Action Committee. Both grants can also be used for winterization projects, in addition to security. The leasing of a van to transport men and materials around the city has eased some of the transportation problems, and more women have been hired in this predominately male program. Future plans call for more intensive publicity of the program by the Public Relations Department of the Mayor's Office of Senior Citizens, possible creation of a Telephone Reassurance Service as part of the security program, and signing up additional senior citizen sites. Mr. Jones and Mr. Chalcroft work on a door during training as an installation team. Mother and Daughter Back In School Mrs. Zelda Stanke, 70, and her mother, Mrs. Mollie Fritz, 93, believe there's a place for the grandmother image on campus. Both are part of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater's "Live In and Learn Program," which enables senior citizens to live in the dorms while auditing courses or taking them for credit. Mrs. Stanke, a widow, enrolled in the program in the fall of 1974. She enjoyed it so much, she convinced her mother to enroll with her last year. The two women live in adjoining rooms in Wells Hall. "We have a code system of knocks on the wall to signal if Mother needs anything," says Mrs. Stanke. She recalled that when she and her husband, a former Methodist pastor, were nearing age 70, "We agreed that something could happen to either one, so we decided the one who was left should find something interesting and challenging. "After his death, I heard about this program. I got myself over here to the orientation and felt it was just the thing. I find the students a delight. They are very friendly and warm and understanding." Mrs. Stanke adds, "We haven't felt any students have resented us, although we haven't tried to boss things. I think in general students have accepted us well. They tell us our contribution far outweighs anything else." Mrs. Stanke said one of her most prized possessions is a certificate of appreciation from Whitewater Chancellor James Connor for being a pioneer in the "Live In and Learn Program." While she and her mother have gotten along well with other students, she concedes: "Their way of life is different. But maybe they're pioneering new ways, too." Mrs. Stanke believes the elderly "must just accept the challenge and get out and do something different. A goal like that keeps us looking forward and not in the past. The young, middle-aged and senior citizens have a right to go out after things beautiful. It gives zest and sparkle to living." Mrs. Stanke and her mother drive to the campus on Mondays from their home in Belleville 40 miles away and return there Thursday when their classes for the week are completed. The two are auditing courses, rather than taking them for credit and, consequently, they pay no tuition under the UW-program which provides courses free for auditors 62 and older. Participants in Live-In and Learn pay $75 a month for a dormitory room and $17.61 a week for meals. If they prefer, preparation of meals in their rooms is permitted. During her first semester, Mrs. Stanke took courses in psychology, ecology and man, art metal and jewelry, and estates and trusts. Last fall she took additional courses in psychology and retirement and another in social issues. Mrs. Fritz has taken a course on the psychology of retirement and an English course that included poetry and play reading. She has written poetry all her life and took the course to have some of her poems evaluated. When she brought them to class for her instructor to critique, he said, "Mrs. Fritz, you're improving with age." She hopes eventually to be able to compile a booklet of her poetry. Mrs. Stanke says that her mother was delighted at being asked to serve as hostess for a session of her retirement course last year. She responded by preparing Christmas cookies and serving them to her classmates. Live-In and Learn, designed as an alternative to retirement living, has been slow in gaining popularity at UW-Whitewater. Four students enrolled for the fall 1974 semester. Last fall, Mrs. Stanke and Mrs. Fritz were the only two participating in the program, although there were about 100 senior citizens auditing classes and living at home. Any Wisconsin resident over the age of 62 can audit classes at any school in the State university system free. Milwaukee Journal photo. Asked her opinion on why the program has not attracted more people, Mrs. Stanke notes, "I think the hesitancy of people to leave their home environment has contributed to its lack of success so far. "But if people could just see this. This is a great alternative to passive retirement. It costs less here than you would pay to stay home and maintain your house." She conceded, however, that "you must have good health and energy to come. We both have that. I inherited that from my mother." Gerontological Society Begun A Minnesota Gerontological Society is being formed by persons in the field of aging. Temporary president of the organization is Dr. Floyd K. Garetz of the University of Minnesota's Department of Family Practice and Community Medicine. The Society will seek to advance the scientific study of aging and provide a source of ideas and employment opportunities for geriatricians and gerontologists. It is planning periodic publications as well as regional and statewide conferences. Dues will be $10 annually. Membership information is available from the Governor's Citizens Council on Aging, 24 Metro Square Bldg., 7th and Robert Sts., St. Paul, Minn. 55101. H1635 477-1 Supporting The Life Style of Located vocated in suburban St. Louis County, Convenant House provides modern apartments for limited-income retirees. When this project opened in 1973, it also was funded to operate a Title III senior center sponsored by the Jewish Community Centers Association. Among the service projects that developed, two continue to support the life style of men who have skillful hands. One project, the "Fix-it Workshop" meets each Wednesday morning to repair small objects at low cost. The other, "Handyman Project," provides minor home repairs to limited income families through a cadre of 20 mobile handymen who are residents of St. Louis County. According to a survey completed earlier this year, six regular "Fix-it" men had repaired 469 items in 1975, for walk-in customers, at an average charge of $1.25, including 18 types of household items, most of which were lamps, clocks, blenders, and toasters. In 1975 the "Handyman Project" served over 500 clients, 56% of whom live alone in 20 different municipalities. The staff and volunteers screen all callers to determine if they are low-income clients. A University of Missouri field work student telephoned 140 out of 259 clients served in a recent sixmonth period and found, by rating "client satisfaction" on a 5-point scale, that 68% of the handymen rated a "5" (excellent, from the customer point of view). This survey also showed that most low cost, limited home repair requests ranked, by volume, were plumbing, electrical and carpentry repairs. The basic charge is $3 plus mileage payment as needed; all fees are arranged by the handyman and the customer. The Senior Center excludes request calls for gutter and roof repairs anything that requires the use of ladders. Instead, such calls, and calls requiring more than one visit, are referred to Project Earn, a Title III project for the employment of older Americans. A broken porch rail, broken faucet or stopped-up drain may not seem to be insurmountable problems to most people, but to widows who depend on social security income these problems can assume crisis-like proportions. For this reason, Covenant House Senior Center Plumbing problems are a major concern for many elderly home owners who cannot afford to pay high commercial rates. staff and volunteers want to continue to recruit all persons who have the required skills. Both the Fix-it Workshop and the Handyman projects have provided a great deal of personal satisfaction to the skilled volunteer and to the community. One handyman expressed his satisfaction by saying: "I have found this project to be a very worthwhile program from two viewpoints, namely, the self-satisfaction I have gained from performing the service for people who have been to some degree exploited by regular craft people and secondly from the highly complimentary comments and satisfaction displayed by the people receiving the service. "The majority of calls are not of an emergency nature and can be scheduled, within reason, by the handyman. This allows him to schedule a certain amount of work and still maintain the leisure activities he wants to participate in. In addition there is the monetary return that is jokingly referred to in our household as our 'fun money'." As research in aging has shown, the vast majority of older workers maintain their life style after age 65-the community-minded man maintains his affiliations. But in addition to his lodge or poker club, he may be looking for "something useful" to apply himself to-some niche wherein his vocational skills can be used regardless of real monetary reward. In this sense our senior centers play a vitally important "broker-role." Centers can support his life style, while at the same time relieving some of the stress of expensive repairs that limited-income families often encounter. D $26 Million Awarded to AoA Training, uring Fiscal Year 1976 and the transition period covering JulyOctober 1976, the Administration on Aging awarded $14 million for training, student stipends, and conferences under Title IV-A of the Older Americans Act. For the same periods, AoA also made project awards totalling $6.3 million for 84 research and development projects under Title IV-B of the Act. The newly funded Multidisciplinary Centers of Gerontology, under Title IV-C, awarded $4 million for 13 developmental grants and seven operational grant projects. Under Section 308 of Title III of the Older Americans Act, 127 Model Projects received $13.8 million in funds. An additional 71 Model Projects providing employment opportunities for older Americans under Title X of the Economic Development Act received $21 million in funding. Training and Manpower The Division of Manpower Resources invited proposals in three categories outlined in an announcement made available in late February 1976. The categories include: (1) Grants for Development Support for Career Training in Agingto assist in the development of programs in institutions of higher education preparing students to serve the elderly in their chosen career or profession. Highest priority was given to programs reflecting the involvement of a variety of disciplines within the university. (2) Planning Grants for Institutions of Higher Education-to provide limited support, up to $25,000, to assist institutions wishing to coordinate aging interests and training capabiliites within the institution. (3) Developmental and Quality Improvement Grants-to support innovative efforts aimed at improving the quality of programs that prepare people to work in the field of aging. The Division of Manpower Resources awarded approximately $7.0 million for 64 career training grants, 13 planning grants, and 14 Developmental and Quality Improvement grants under Title IV-A of the Older Americans Act. In addition, a separate grant announcement was developed for State agencies on aging applications which proposed the support of training to meet priority meet priority in-service training needs of State and area agency personnel. State agencies were encouraged to work with institutions of higher education for the development of aging courses to assist personnel working in the Aging Network to carry out their responsibilities. Approximately $6.0 million was reserved for State agency proposals. totalling Title IV-A funds $450,950 were also used to support a limited number of conferences, and to support 20 students at $5,000 each pursuing work on doctoral level dissertations in the aging field. The awards follow: University of Alabama, $61,748 University of Southern California, University of Southern California, $56,656 University of Southern California, $54,603 Holy Names College, $43,039 San Diego State University, $120,779 Georgia State, $80,267 North Georgia College, $35,166 University of Michigan, $240,006 St. Louis University, $80,095 Wayne Community College, $49,248 North Dakota Consortium-Minot State |