Maryland An emergency help program was set up in Montgomery County in February for older citizens who were victims of the year's weather crisis. The County's Division of Elder Affairs was authorized by the State Office on Aging to take measures to help all County residents 60 and over who had serious problems as a result of last winter. According to Donald Wassmann, Division Director, services included purchases of food, fuel, and clothing, emergency evacuation and living arrangements, increased homedelivered meals, emergency delivery of supplies, escort and special transportation, snow removal, and emergency home repairs. Mr. Wassmann pointed out that even though the weather is becoming milder, many older people still need urgent help because they have depleted their meager resources to buy food or fuel or to repair weather damage. Steps were also taken to assure public utilities were not arbitrarily discontinued for older persons. Massachusetts new The dedication of the Mashpee Senior Citizen Center last October marked the beginning of a multipurpose facility for elders and the successful conclusion of an intergovernmental effort. The Mashpee Council on Aging's purchase of a one story barracks building from Otis Air Force Base for one dollar launched the project. Council Chairman Marion Griffin originally submitted a Federal funding request for the renovation of the building in December 1974. A Department of Elder Affairs (DEA) Community Coordinator then. arranged for a regional representative of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to meet with the Mashpee Board of Selectmen and the Council on Aging. The initial January 1975 discussion focused on the application process for a Title I Community Development grant. The primary objective of Title I of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 is the development of viable urban communities, providing housing and a suitable living environment and expanding economic opportunities, principally for persons of low and moderate income. Under Section 105 of the Act, activities eligible for funding include the acquisition, construction, reconstruction, or installation of public works, and improvements to neighborhood sites and facilities, including senior centers. Also eligible are special projects to remove architectural barriers, and public services not otherwise available in areas where other activities are being carried out under Title I. On July 30, 1975, the community received a $43,780 Community Development grant from HUD. The award was supplemented by a $5,000 town appropriation to move the building to the site donated by Mashpee. The former barracks was then transformed into a two-story, barrier-free facility equipped with a kitchen, dining room and reception hall. Michigan Some 14 elderly persons are participating in an experimental breakfast program being offered at the Senior Citizens Center in Rapid River. The program began in January after members of the center staff learned that some seniors were not eating breakfast. Thus far response to the program has been good. "They would come into the center for coffee and we knew they did not eat any breakfast," says Georgie Safford, coordinator of the center. She adds that many live alone and do not prepare breakfast for themselves. Mrs. Safford said that the program began without State or Federal funding. It is supported by donations of senior citizens attending the early morning meal, but there is no charge. "People give what they think is appropriate," Mrs, Safford says. The breakfast menu is different each day, and each meal is prepared when the person gets to the center, not in advance. "This way, nothing is wasted and the food is served hot." Mrs. Safford added. She observes that the program has brought many senior citizens to the center who had never been there before. According to a spokesman from the State Office of Services to the Aging, there has been no program like this one before. Several mobile nutrition programs offer breakfast as an option to homebound senior citizens; however, most people served by mobile units prefer their food in the afternoon. New York The Nassau County Department of Senior Citizen Affairs and the Adelphi University Press have published a resource book describing funding for programs in the field of aging entitled National Guide to Government and Foundation Funding Sources in the Field of Aging. All sources of public and foundation support for programs for the aging were researched in order to present a complete guide to available gerontological funding. The book was co-edited by Lilly Cohen, of Adelphi University's Programs on Aging, and Dr. Marie OppedisanoReich, of the Nassau County Department of Senior Citizen Affairs. Information is given for over 85 Federal funding programs in the following categories: Funding under the Older Americans Act, employment, volunteerism, economic selfsufficiency, community development, housing and construction, health, mental health, nutrition, transportation, education and training, arts and humanities, social behavioral research, and supportive and protective services. Listed and described are 125 foundations that have awarded 500 grants in the aging field from 1972 to 1976. Bibliographies and appendices include definitions of Federal assistance available, abbreviations, information contacts, and a directory of State agencies on aging. The Guide is offered at a prepublication price of $11.00 and will cost $13.50 after publication. It is available from Adelphi University Press, Room 103-L, Garden City, New York, N.Y. 11530. Ohio Golden Buckeye Card applicacations continue to increase in Ohio. Latest reports show that 284,000 applications have been received since the program began in March 1976. The number of participating merchants climbed to 9,000 last September after three drug store chains agreed to give Golden Buckeye Card holders a 10% discount on prescription drugs. Great Scot, a food chain with 16 stores in 10 central Ohio counties, became the first grocery chain to join. They provide a 10% discount on all meat purchases. Several Columbus-area taxi companies honor the card, while transit systems in Athens, Massillon, and Wooster also recognize it. There about 1,000 locations where applications for Golden Buckeye Cards can be filled out. Additional CETA funding to continue the Buckeye Card program until October, 1977, has been awarded. to the Commission. Rhode Island The Division on Aging has released "Information Report No. 4Rhode Island's Elderly Population Projections to 1980," the latest in a series of research documents regarding older Rhode Islanders. "In all cases, these Information Reports represent a systematic and ongoing investigation of our older population which must be considered when the topic of expanding services to older Rhode Islanders is raised," said Eleanor F. Slater, Chief of the Division on Aging, Department of Community Affairs. "Information Report No. 4" analyzes the expanding older population in each Rhode Island community and pinpoints the household status of older people in each. Mrs. Slater said the report should be particularly useful to city planners. It indicates, for example, that Rhode Island's over-65 population increased 11,537 between 1970 and 1975, and is expected to increase another 8,393 by 1980. There will be 133,882 citizens in this age bracket in 1980, up from 103,932 in 1970. This represents a statewide increase of 28.8%. West Greenwich with an 82.8% increase, Exeter with 73.4%, and Tiverton with 64% are the three communities which will experience the most rapid growth in the number of older citizens. The city of Providence is considerably below the statewide average increases with only a 16.3% increase anticipated. The 19-page report attributes much of the statewide expansion through 1980 to the large number of births and the high fertility ratio. of the early 1900's, coupled with the high level of immigration prior to World War I. Other highlights in "Rhode Island's Elderly Population Projections to 1980" include the following: The vast majority of older Rhode Islanders (78.5%) maintain their own households rather than live with relatives or in group quarters. • Only a little over 6% (about one in fifteen) of all Rhode Islanders are living in long-term care facilities such as State institutions and nursing homes. • The percentage of older Rhode Islanders owning their own homes is below the national average56.1% versus 69.5% nationally. Copies of "Information Report No. 4 Rhode Island's Elderly Population Projections to 1980" are available from the Division on Aging's Information Unit at 150 Washington St., Providence, 02903. West Virginia The Preventicare Exercise Program developed by the Lawrence Frankel Foundation of Charleston, W. Va. will reach greater numbers of older citizens in the State this year under a cooperative agreement with the Department of Welfare. The effort is being financed with Federal funds on a 75-25% matching basis. The $60,000 contract includes $45,000 provided by the Department of Welfare under Title X of the Social Security Act. Matching funds of $15,000 were awarded the exercise program by the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, Inc. of Pittsburgh. Developed in 1970 by the Frankel Foundation with a grant from the Commission on Aging, Preventicare attempts to slow the aging process through exercises patterned to fit individual needs. Age, state of fitness, and recommendations of private physicians are taken into account in prescribing a personal regimen of exercise. Most exercises are simple to perform and can be undertaken in whatever positions are most. comfortable to the exerciser. An international conference, called "Gerokinesiatrics International," will be held in Charleston this year. International speakers and a conference attendance of approximately 1,000 will explore and discuss Preventicare and similar programs. News of FDA Issues New Hearing Aid Regulations The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced plans to restrict over-the-counter sales of hearing aids. Under new FDA regulations scheduled to become effective Aug. 15, a person may purchase a hearing aid only by submitting a doctor's written statement suggesting that a hearing aid may be helpful, or by signing a statement specifically waiving a medical examination. The waiver statement will advise the potential buyer to seek a doctor's opinion, and dealers will be forbidden to encourage people to waive the examination. Approximately three million people in the U. S. use hearing aids, which are available for sale to anyone who wants one. Another important provision of the new regulation requires that dealers allow buyers time to read a manufacturer's brochure describing how the hearing aid works, what it can and can not do, what battery types it uses and where it can be repaired, along with other consumer information. A brochure must be given to every buyer under the new regulation. Subcommittee on Aging Members Named Members of the Subcommittee on Aging of the new Senate Committee on Human Resources (forn erly the Senate Labor and Public Welfare Committee) have been selected. The five-member subcommittee includes Senators Thomas Eagleton, Chairman (Mo.), Alan Cranston (Calif.), Edward Kennedy (Mass.), John Chafee, Ranking Minority Member (R.I.), and S. I. Hayakawa (Calif.). The Subcommittee on Aging has legislative jurisdiction over the Older Americans Act and the Title IX Older American Community Service Employment Act. FDA Continues Laetrile, a substance made from ground apricot pits, has been promoted as a cure for cancer for 25 years. Today the Laetrile promoters are more vocal and better organized than ever before. Especially troublesome to the Food and Drug Administration is the fact that claims for Laetrile now have been expanded to include a preventive role. More than 40 drugs are now available to help cancer victims. All have been proved effective under strict scientific standards laid down by the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. Laetrile is not among these drugs despite the fact that it is the most tested of cancer "cures." Every one of the scientific tests conducted on it-five studies by the National Cancer Institute alone has shown that Laetrile has no effect against cancer. The Food and Drug Administration, The National Cancer Institute, the American Medical Association and the American Cancer Society, among others, believe that cancer vic tims who rely on Laetrile are wasting their money and that, if they rely on the substance instead of established treatment, they may be endangering their lives. The December 1976-January 1977 issue of FDA Consumer magazine carries an article on Laetrile, what it is, and how it is being used. Single copies of the article are available free from the Consumer Information Center, Dept. 644E, Pueblo, Colorado 81009. Laetrile is one of more than 200 Federal publications of consumer interest listed in the Spring edition of the catalog, Consumer Information. Published quarterly by the Consumer Information Center of the General Services Administration, the catalog is free from the above address. Transportation Funds for Elderly Over $65 Million The Federal government spent between $65 and $70 million on transportation for the elderly in fiscal 1975, according to estimates by the Institute of Public Administration. The estimates of funding levels and expenditures in different Federal programs are not complete because not all State aging agencies keep comprehensive records of the elderly's transportation needs and services. The findings were from a survey of transportation providers, including State and area agencies on aging. The report, Transportation for Older Americans: Programs, Prospects and Potentials, was an update of the Institute's 1975 state of the art review. Both reports were prepared for the Administration on Aging. Some Federal agencies earmark funds for the general category of the handicapped and elderly, and do not require specific accounts of spending. Other funds are earmarked for general services to the elderly, but can be spent on transportation. Most transportation programs are funded by the Administration on Aging and agencies of the Department of Transportation. The number of transportation projects serving the elderly jumped from at least 1,000 in fiscal 1975 to about 3,000 in fiscal 1976. Despite this increase, agencies reported barriers to obtaining funding and to using them. However, the perceptions of the regulations and guidelines may, in fact, be more of a barrier to funding and improved services than actually exists. The State agencies called for: More local incentives to provide transportation for the aged. • Federal studies of planning and operating programs in which there is inter-agency coordination of services. Studies of how to improve regulations and administrative procedures. • Increased availability of funding. More programs for transportation for the aged were funded in fiscal 1975 by the Older Americans Act than by Federal transportation acts. Aging Around the World Great Britain The first mobile day center in the United Kingdom is now in operation in Sunderland. The 22-foot trailer is provided and operated by two voluntary organizations-Help the Aged and Age Concern. Designed to ensure that elderly persons living in areas where church and community centers do not exist will have opportunities for companionship and at least one good meal a week, it can accommodate 12 to 16 people per session. The caravan will also provide a mobile information service to elderly people in the borough. A minibus tows the caravan to its daily destination. The cost of maintaining and operating the vehicle is assumed by local government. Greece The Ministry of Social Welfare has begun an outreach program to low-income elderly centered in suburbs of Athens and Piraeus, Greece. In the first step of this program, a doctor and three full-time social workers undertook a survey of the medical and social needs of elderly persons in the community. This was followed up by the provision of needed services with primary emphasis placed on meeting medical requirements. Priority was given to those elderly persons not adequately covered by any insurance scheme. In the initial survey, it was found that 25% of the homes covered included an elderly individual in the household. Only 52% of these homes, however, could be considered adequate in providing minimum levels of comfort. A majority of the elderly males (64.5%) were idle and found little to occupy their lives. Elderly women, however, continued to play useful roles through housekeeping and care of grandchildren. Similar outreach programs have been started in rural areas of Greece. To date, the needs of almost 27,000 elderly persons have been investigated by qualified social workers. Samoa Samoa now has its first old age home built and administered by the Little Sisters of the Poor. Although most Samoans believe such a home is unnecessary because families continue to take care of their old, after a year's operation, the home is full to capacity and has a long waiting list.* Switzerland The city of Thun in Switzerland has converted one of its elegant historic landmarks into a home for the aged. The Hotel Falken, built in 1830 and located on a bustling street, retains its beautiful external facade and much of its interior elegance, including chandeliers, ancestral portraits, and a dining-room with patterned silk wall-coverings. However, 24 single rooms and three apartments for couples have been added, each with a bath or shower. A spacious roof terrace overlooks the river. Residents must have lived in Thun for at least 10 years to be eligible for admittance. Average age of the current residents is 84.* *The information for these articles was provided by Ageing International. Publications General You and Your Aging Parent. By Bar- Barbara Silverstone is Chief of Helen Kandel Hyman has written The authors write with candor, em- The book is divided into two sec- become involved in their parents' Also highlighted are problems of The second section, "Taking Ac- Help can range from telephone able in the years 'sixty-five and This book will prove indispensable Work, Leisure and Retirement. Am- This brochure is the third in a The foreword of the booklet ob- |