these older people through a variety of agencies, and an appreciation of the extent to which older people may render a service to society.

In Indiana we have divided our 92 counties into six regions in which we hold regional conferences at least once a year. Each region has its set of officers responsible for the regional program of action. In turn in each region an attempt is made to organize a county committee in each county, which in turn will work with the several communities within the county. Where there are strong county committees there are significant local program developments.

In addition to regional conferences and workshops, the Indiana State Commission holds an annual State conference with statewide participation. It holds hearings of interest in selected areas; it sponsors workshops, such as the annual institute for county home superintendents and matrons in which consideration is given to the proper role of the county home in today's society. Another example is the annual workshop for clergy, designed to develop an appreciation of the leadership that may appropriately come from them in the field of aging and in which specific services by the clergy are discussed.

The Indiana Commission finances research to the extent to which its budget will permit. For example, it made available to the State board of health $5,000 to make a survey of Indiana's county homes and to make recommendations to individual county homes, based on the survey. It financed the study of the recreational interests and needs of older people. This study was made by a graduate student of Indiana University and the data gathered was used in a doctor's dissertation. The findings will shortly be written in popular form and distributed throughout the State to guide communities in providing recreational facilities and programs for older people. The commission has published a book, "Aging in Indiana," which is a comprehensive delineation of the work of the commission and a source book of information concerning the various areas which will be of concern to our older people. Through various brochures relat ing to specific areas in the field of aging, information has been distributed throughout the State.

Under the title, "The Adult Years," a community study of the aging and aged in Bartholomew County, Ind., was directed by Dr. Leonard Z. Breen of the De partment of Sociology of Purdue University. The study was prepared for the Bartholomew County Retirement Foundation and supported by funds provided by Purdue University, the Indiana State Board of Health, and the Lilly Endowment. This study grew out of a recognition on the part of the Bartholomew County Retirement Foundation of the very great importance of developing a program of community action on a soundly based understanding of the community-hence this program of self-scrutiny. The study yielded a compilation of data which provides the community with the necessary and indispensable beginning point for programs of community interest and involvement.

Among the significant developments in Bartholomew County following the completion of this study are the following: The maintenance of a senior citizens center in which a considerable amount of personal counseling takes plase; the establishment of a sheltered workship through which part-time employment for a limited number of older people is made possible; the operation of a series of meetings dealing with preretirement preparation and involving older people in the community who may or may not be employed by local industry; the initiation of a home-nursing program operated through the local hospital; the development of plans for housing for the elderly in Bartholomew County; and finally, the preparation of a report on the study of aging in Bartholomew County as a case study for general information to other communities working in this field. In the Bartholomew County program there is to be found suggestions that are pertinent for any community concerned with program planning for its older citizens.

Any State commission on aging is of necessity unable to do much more than furnish background for groups who will be interested in local program development. There is obviously an opportunity for the commission to publicize developments as they occur, which may in turn suggest possibilities to communities still in need of developing programs.

There is also a need for field service representing the State commission and its various committees to meet with local groups concerned with program development. Unfortunately, this takes money and commissions on aging, generally speaking, have distinct financial limitations. We are hopeful that a field service may soon be possible in Indiana but, lacking this, we have found it necessary to pass information from one community to another through conference groups and through publications of the Commission plus our newsletter.

Illustrative of some features of local program development which we can identify in Indiana and which may have pertinence in other States are the following:

South Bend started its work with senior citizens through members of the Altrusa Club. After studying the problem considerably and attending some of the more important conferences in the field of aging the Altrusa Club arranged for a senior citizens center out of its own funds. Physically the center had its distinct limitations; volunteer supervision of the center by members of the Altrusa Club proved to be impractical, but out of this came a request for the city park board to build a facility for senior citizens. Work with the park board resulted in their building housing in one park adapted to senior citizens and I am advised that the South Bend park board has announced that any further building in any of South Bend's parks will include a facility for senior citizens. In Evansville facilities were made available to a senior citizen group along with trained leadership through the park board.

In Bloomington the mayor has appointed a council on aging and this council works closely with the Monroe County Council on Aging.

An outstanding program is in operation in the Indianapolis Tabernacle Presbyterian Church in which a senior citizens program has been developed to meet a wide variety of needs. This program is supported by the church budget and involves people in the neighborhood, regardless of their church affiliation. As a result there is now under discussion the development of an interchurch housing program for a considerable area in Indianapolis with a view to developing services that will permit the elderly to remain in their homes instead of forcing them to move into a central housing facility.

Valparaiso University has developed a program at Norman Beatty State Mental Hospital at Westville which involves a considerable number of students of Valparaiso University and the women in one ward of the hospital. The program is for the most part recreational in character but through this program some of the residents involved have been rehabilitated to the extent that they are ready for foster-home care. Equally important, however, have been the new concepts the Valparaiso University undergraduates involved have gotten concerning older people and society's need for attention to their problems. This group of undergraduates have become so interested that they are initiating a program for the Porter County Home in addition to their project at the mental hospital.

In three communities in Indiana we made starts which we thought were salutary: Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, and South Bend. Full-time individuals were employed to head up a program in the field of aging, but for one reason or another they have all faded out of the picture. It still seems desirable to have trained personnel in given communities to take the responsibility for assembling groups who can develop community programs for aging, but our experience with such specialists has not been a successful one. We probably are not yet ready in the average community to accept the full-time worker whose function will be that of initiating programs in aging and coordinating the work of various agencies in this field.

As a matter of fact in any State there are many communities too small to provide facilities for senior citizens exclusively. In one small community in Indiana plans are underway now to establish a center which will serve teenagers and senior citizens at specified times.

In larger cities health and welfare councils can be of great service in the field of aging. The Indianapolis Health and Welfare Council has just announced the acquisition of funds which will make it possible to establish a most adequate senior-citizen center in downtown Indianapolis.

It is not fantastic to think that service clubs could become the focal points in the development of community programs for the aging. On the State level in Indiana Kiwanis has definitely recognized the need for attention to the elderly and has appointed a statewide committee with a chairman who has already evidenced a marked interest in this field. Individual clubs may in time reflect the thinking of the State group.

So far I have dealt primarily with a discussion of developing programs, sponsors, etc., that have relationship to community planning. At the beginning I called attention to the fact that the outcome of all plans for programs in the field of aging must be reflected in local program development. If our experience in Indiana is typical, however, in instance after instance we find groups in local communities who have accumulated considerable information about the needs of older people and what society should provide for them and still further what

the older people themselves can contribute to society but they do not know where to start. The most important service that can be rendered to local groups involved in program development relates to this very question of how they get underway.

It seems obvious that it is impossible to design a program of activities for any group of people without studying this group itself to determine its needs, its likes, and what it wants. It seems to be a favorite indoor sport nowadays to prescribe for people or groups of people without any study of the people themselves. It has been our experience in Indiana that those communities who started with some sort of a survey or "self scrutiny," as Dr. Breen has designated it, have been best able to make progress rapidly and to develop plans that were reasonably well suited to the needs of the community's senior citizens.

I shall not enumerate the items found in a list of functions of a community council on aging which was developed by Helen Wilson of the Division on Aging of the Bergen County Tuberculosis and Health Assocition of Hackensack, N.J. I make mention of the list, however, in order that you may know where to find it for in my opinion this listing suggests a good many preliminary moves that any group may need to make, who hope to establish an adequate program for the senior citizens of their community.

The chairman of this panel has listed questions to which he thinks answers are desirable:

(1) How can the State unit assure interaction with local groups in program development?

In my opinion such interaction between the State commission and local groups can best be assured by the establishment of county committees, the members of which have been involved in the development of the philosophy which the commission embraces. Also some provision must be made to carry to local groups a comprehension of what this philosophy is. Unless this is done local communities proceed on their own and the end result is a hodgepodge. I do not, however, leave out of consideration the desirability of local groups developing plans feasible to their local situations. Not all the imagination originates at the top and local initiative should be encouraged even if it departs somewhat from the commission philosophy.

(2) How much authority may the State unit assert in seeking to influence local policy decisions and program development? What responsibility is vested in State units relative to local program?

The first question I have answered above. Regarding the second, I think the State commissions have a responsibility, which cannot be dismissed, in the establishment of local programs.

(3) How does the State unit utilize local units of other State agencies for promoting, improving, and expanding services for the aging?

Again I refer to what Indiana has done in answering this question. For 21⁄2 days at the end of January the Indiana Commission on the Aging and Aged held a retreat at one of our State parks. We wanted sufficient time to think through items which we did not find time to consider sufficiently in the regular commission meetings, usually 5 to 6 hours in length. To this retreat we invited the heads of other State agencies, such as the superintendent of public instruction, the State board of health, the State department of mental health, State department of public welfare, State division of vocational rehabilitation, State employment security division, Social Security Administration, and the State director of recreation. In a final meeting of this retreat these heads of State agencies presented their plans for assistance in the field of aging. Whether they had been converted during the retreat or not is not important. But, in view of their statements, it will be difficult for them not to do some of the things they indicated they were doing or would do.

As an illustration of cooperation between agencies, may I tell you about one locality in which we wished to use the local employment security head in a retirement counseling program for which he didn't feel quite qualified. The commission paid his expenses to attend a training course at the University of Chicago on the use of their materials in this field.

(4) How are decisions reached as to what resources may be and what resources must be provided to local groups by the State unit?

At the risk of being considered facetious, those things which the State group must provide to the local groups depend somewhat on the insistence of the local group and of the unfortunate consequences that might result if their requests were not filled. I think this decision would have to be based on thinking in which both the State unit and the local group participated.

(5) What role is played by State groups when local counties are oriented to action rather than program planning?

There may be communities in which the local committee is "off to the races" before they know where the races are, but I think most local communities suffer much less from action programs than they do from prolonged program planning resulting in no action. The Indiana commission has not had to call a halt in any community yet where the local community has been oriented to action rather than just planning. We tend to applaud action programs, recognizing, of course, the importance of program planning previous to the action.

I have emphasized the importance of local program development for this leads to action, and without action nothing happens. Hopefully, there will be in the community a few people who recognize the need for programs relating to senior citizens, but an absolute requisite in any community, no matter how many wellinformed people it has, is a sparkplug. One is usually enough, but without that sparkplug nothing is done.

LEGISLATIVE PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION

(By Margaret C. Schweinhaut, chairman. State Coordinating Commission on Problems of the Aging)

(Prepared for Conference of State Executives for Aging, April 9-12, 1962, Special Staff on Aging, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare)

As a part of our general topic, "Effective Use of Resources by State Units on Aging," I have been asked to discuss "Legislative Planning and Implementation." Under this assignment I have been asked to consider certain questions, among which are the following three:

1. What program areas in the field of aging need new, expanded, or redefined legislation?

2. How can a legislative program be developed which is fair to the community as a whole, as well as to the aging specifically?

3. How does one get legislation passed?

It is natural that when I discuss the answers to these questions I shall be talking on the basis of our experience in Maryland. I trust that Maryland is not so dissimilar from other States that what I say about our experience in my own State will be very different from your experience in your own States. However, what I shall say about Maryland is not intended as a sales talk for Maryland, but merely as illustrative of the points I wish to make, and as an admission that I know very little about the legislation in your States.

Now for question No. 1: What program areas in the field of aging need new, expanded, or redefined legislation?

First, let me state very emphatically that if your State does not have a commission on aging created by statute, you should begin with building that solid foundation for your commission. Don't upset or belittle what you may already have, but underpin it with a well drawn statute. We have found that a commission of 16 persons, 10 selected by the Governor from community interests prescribed by the legislature and 6 being the heads of the State departments of government most closely associated with the problems of the aging, works admirably in providing direction and policymaking control of our work in Maryland. Turning to the program areas specifically, let me begin with:

Income. All self-respecting older people are entitled to an income compatible with human dignity. Yet many do not have it. Where do we begin to plan for this legislatively?

To start at the Federal end, I might say that our Governors' conference recommended that an analysis be made on a national scale by an appropriate congressional committee or a committee appointed by the executive department of ways to adjust social security payments to offset the rising cost of living. In this connection the White House Conference recommended periodic reviews by Congress of the maximum amount of earnings subject to social security contributions and of the benefit levels, and further that changes be made where indicated as a result of changing wage scales and living costs.

Careful consideration should also be given to the proposal contained in Senate bill 3684 by Senators McNamara, Clark, and Randolph, and in Senator McNamara's bill S. 2181, which would provide for the issuance of constant purchasing power bonds by the Federal Government, which would protect the holder from

the effects of inflation; provided the bonds were held to maturity, or the holder had reached the age of 60, died, or had become disabled.

Old-age assistance.-Next, what happens when a person on old-age assistance earns a few dollars to stretch out the small grant he is receiving under OAA? Under Federal law, if he reports the earnings, your State will have to deduct the amount earned from his grant. Accordingly, we discourage the earning of supplemental amounts by the recipients of OAA, or we encourage dishonesty in not reporting the pin money. We believe the Federal law should be changed and our State commission has recommended that any recipient of OAA should be allowed to earn at least $30 a month without having it deducted from his grant. This recommendation was sent to Congress by our State legislature. Moreover, the White House Conference also made a similar recommendation, as follows: "That Congress amend the Social Security Act to allow States on a permissive basis, to establish a $50 monthly earned income deduction for each applicant for, or recipient of old-age assistance." (The Nation and Its Older People, p. 133.)

We are not aware that any action has been taken on these suggestions and, therefore, suggest that we all give them our concerted support.

Child-parent support laws.-Does your State require adult children to support their indigent parents? If it does, is the law operating satisfactorily? Does it create a hardship on the parent to have to file proceedings against a recalcitrant child before the indigent parent can obtain old age assistance? In other words, does the law work for the benefit of the indigent parent, or against his welfare? Frankly, our commission doesn't know and for that reason has a special committee studying this subject, collecting all available data within our State and from your States. If you haven't looked at your law recently, possibly you will wish to do so when you get back home.

In this connection, it is again well to bear in mind the recommendation of the White House Conference:

"That State provisions on relatives' responsibility in public assistance be equitable, practical, and designed to contribute to strengthen family life. The contribution required of the family should not be deducted from the assistance payments unless the relative actually pays it. If the relative does not pay, it should be the responsibility of the State to secure the payment."

Tax relief. There is a great demand on the part of older people for tax relief and this demand seems natural. Tax rates are constantly going up and a retired person's income is not keeping pace with the increase. In our State we have found that the most reasonable way of approaching this problem is by meeting it in the field of real estate taxes. Income taxes naturally diminish when incomes diminish. Sales taxes decrease when purchases decrease, but real estate taxes continue to increase even though earnings are sharply decreased. Therefore, our Commission has recommended and our State administration has concurred in the recommendation that city and county governments allow a partial exemption from real estate taxes for low-income elderly homeowners.

This seems socially sound because it prevents a loss of homes which have been acquired over long years of hard work, and because it contributes to maintaining the independence of the older person and avoiding the psychological shock of possibly having to dispose of one's home against one's will because of inability to maintain it. Lessening the tax burden may be just the lift needed to make maintenance possible.

Age discrimination in employment.-Many have advocated legislation to prohibit discrimination because of age in employment practices. Approximately 14 States have such legislation now. If you are of the point of view that it is appropriate to legislate on such subjects and that such legislation can be enforced, you might be an advocate of such a law in your State. However, our State commission has taken the position that such legislation would primarily serve an educational purpose and that the same result might be better obtained by a resolution of the legislature declaring State policy on the subject, and making such a resolution the basis for an intensive educational campaign among employers to change employer attitudes toward employing the older worker. Such a resolution was passed by our general assembly this year and will be mailed by our State commission to hundreds of employers throughout the State.

Health legislation.-In those communities in which there is need of additional nursing homes, it is well to have legislation passed providing for State grants to supplement the grants of the Federal Government, under the Wolverton amendment to the Hill-Burton Act, for the construction of nonprofit nursing homes. That has been done in a number of States and is one of the best incentives for the construction of nursing homes where needed.