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(8) to make any other expenditures necessary to

carry out this Act.

AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS

SEC. 9. There are hereby authorized to be appropriated

5 such sums as may be necessary to carry out the provisions 6 and purposes of this Act.

Senator EAGLETON. We will now receive for the record the statement of the chairman of the Committee on Labor and Public Welfare, formerly chairman of the Special Committee on Aging, and one of the most knowledgeable men in the country on the problems of the aging, the distinguished Senator from New Jersey, Mr. Williams.

STATEMENT OF HON. HARRISON A. WILLIAMS, JR., A U.S. SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY

Senator WILLIAMS. Mr. Chairman, before proceeding with my statement, I would like to compliment you for calling early hearings on research on aging proposals and the need for establishing a national nutrition program to meet the special needs of the elderly.

With the White House Conference on Aging only a few months away, these hearings are particularly timely and appropriate. And enactment of legislation in these two important areas nutrition and research-would be especially helpful in moving toward a national policy on aging.

These hearings also take on an added dimension because the research and nutritional needs of the elderly now receive inadequate attention. This is especially evident in the field of aging research, where our commitment is far behind the documented need.

Many businesses and governmental units spend about 5 percent of their available funds for research. And their investments have been increasing because they recognize the value of fundamental and applied research. During the past 20 years, expenditures for research have increased nearly twice as fast as our gross national product.

But our outlays for research in the field of aging have been woefully inadequate, amounting to about two-tenths of 1 percent of our current investment. Applying the same percentage rate of funding as in other areas, we should be spending about 10 to 25 times as much as we currently do.

Yet, minimal funding is only one facet of the aging research syndrome. Existing organizational patterns in Government have also contributed to the problem. In a very real sense, they are outmoded and not designed to obtain the maximum coordinated effort which is so urgently needed. Grants for aging research, for example, have been conducted through many Federal agencies and within many different units in these departments. This diffusion of responsibility has resulted in duplication of efforts, lack of coordination, and gaps in our overall approach.

But today we have under consideration two different proposals to eliminate the existing fragmented and haphazard approach to aging research. The first measure is a bill which you have authored, Mr. Chairman a bill to establish a National Institute of Gerontology within the Public Health Service. And the second proposal is legislation which I have sponsored-a bill to create a seven-member Aging Research Commission for the purpose of promoting research into the biological, medical, psychological, social, and economic aspects of aging.

Both bills are similar in that they would provide a Federal focus for aging research. Yet they differ in other respects. In establishing a National Institute of Gerontology, S. 887 would operate within the

existing governmental framework to achieve a more systematic approach for aging research. In contrast, S. 1925 would establish a new commission for the purpose of achieving this goal.

Two days of scheduled hearings on this legislation, I am confident, will provide the proper forum for leading authorities in the field of gerontology to comment on the merits of these approaches as well as the feasibility for combining the best features of both bills. Regardless of the approach-whether it is a National Institute of Gerontology, an Aging Research Commission, or something else I am hopeful that the subcommittee will act promptly and favorably in establishing a single governmental unit for promoting and coordinating aging research.

There has long been a need for developing a national policy on gerontological research. And the adoption of such an approach would be a major step forward in achieving this goal.

NUTRITION PROGRAM FOR THE ELDERLY ACT

Now, I would like to direct my remarks to the Nutrition Program for the Elderly Act, a bill which I have sponsored.

Nearly 2 years ago the Senate Committee on Aging—of which 1 was then chairman and am now the ranking majority memberworked with the Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs in holding hearings on the special nutritional problems of the aged. At these hearings we heard about elderly persons who lived on a "tea and toast" diet. And we heard many other heart-rendering accountsabout individuals who are constantly confronted with the choice of buying food or necessary prescription drugs to maintain their health. Undoubtedly low income in retirement is the overriding reason why millions of older Americans are hungry or malnourished. Today nearly 5 million persons 65 and older live in poverty. Approximately another 2 million would be considered near poor.

For most aged persons food costs constitute a major expenditure ranking second only to housing expenses. Food expenditures now represent about 27 percent of their very limited budgets.

With prices continuing to climb, elderly persons are finding it increasingly difficult to purchase the food they need. This message was made abundantly clear in a questionnaire prepared in conjunction with the White House Conference on Aging community forums last fall. Nearly 55 percent of all elderly respondents replied that they could not buy the food which they wanted.

Quite frequently a poor diet may intensify the severity of other problems troubling the aged. Improper nutrition, for example, may lead to chronic disease or even mental illness.

For many older Americans, the Nutrition Program for the Elderly Act could provide a sound and comprehensive approach to their nutritional and other everyday problems. Particularly important, it would

provide nutritious meals in conveniently located centers for elderly persons. In my own State of New Jersey, funding under this program would be sufficient for about 2 million meals in 1 year for aged persons in need.

Additionally, the bill would make outreach services availableincluding health, counseling, informational, and referral services— to assure maximum participation by eligible individuals. Moreover, in staffing positions at these centers, preference would be given to persons 65 and older. For many older persons, this could mean an opportunity for a new and rewarding career. And for others, it could provide a means to supplement inadequate retirement benefits.

At the White House Conference on Food, Nutrition, and Health, the ned for this type of legislation was strongly endorsed. In addition, the President's Task Force on Aging has also strongly supported this concept. In its report-"Toward a Brighter Future for the Elderly”— the task force emphasized that:

The Federal Government should encourage the development of local arrangements for social dining for ambulatory elderly in addition to home-delivered meals for shut-ins so that those older persons who choose to do so can receive a prepared meal once a day.

For these reasons, I urge favorable action on S. 1163, the Nutrition Program for the Elderly Act.

Senator EAGLETON. We also have a statement for the record from the Senator from Idaho, Mr. Church, who is the current chairman of the Special Committee on Aging and very interested in this legislation.

STATEMENT OF HON. FRANK CHURCH, A U.S. SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF IDAHO

Senator CHURCH. Mr. Chairman, before beginning my testimony, I'd like to offer my congratulations to you and the Subcommittee on Aging for holding prompt hearings on bills dealing with issues of vital concern to older Americans-nutrition and research on aging. If acceptable to you, I will discuss the Nutrition Program for the Elderly Act first, and then comment on the aging research proposals, drawing upon testimony presented to the Senate Special Committee on Aging, of which I am chairman.

NUTRITION PROGRAM FOR THE ELDERLY ACT

For many older Americans, adequate nutrition is an acute problem. In fact, malnourishment probably affects our 20 million senior citizens to a much greater degree than any other age group in our society. According to one authority-Mrs. Sandra Howell of the Gerontological Society-8 million older Americans may have diets insufficient for optimum health.

It is no wonder. Many are hungry or malnourished simply because they are too poor to buy enough food to eat. Today almost 5 million older Americans fall below the poverty line, about one out of every four persons 65 and older.

Approximately 55 percent of all elderly persons who live alone or with nonrelatives have total money incomes below $2,000. One out of every five aged couples has an annual income below $2,500.

Moreover, food costs consume a larger proportion of their limited budgets than is the case for younger persons. For example, the typical elderly person spends about 27 percent of his total income on food, while the average American spends only 16 percent.

But low income in itself is not the only cause of the nutrition crisis which affects an alarmingly large proportion of our elderly. There are others. Many lack incentives to cook for themselves, especially those who live alone or who are lonely. Others are unable to prepare their own food. Failing health may make it impossible to carry heavy groceries to their homes. And transportation inadequacies have intensified many of the nutrition problems confronting the elderly.

Fortunately, some steps have been taken to ease the nutrition crisis for some aged persons. A special emphasis nutrition demonstration program was launched in 1968 under the Older Americans Act to improve nutrition services for the elderly. However, many of the existing 18 projects will expire in the very near future. With the termination of these projects, many aged persons will again be faced with the prospect of malnourishment.

For these reasons, early action on S. 1163-the Nutrition for the Elderly Act-takes on additional meaning today.

As a sponsor of this legislation, I strongly believe that the bill represents a sensible and coordinated approach for meeting the nutritional problems of many older persons. First, the bill would authorize $50 million in Federal funding to provide low-cost and nutritious meals for aged individuals in conveniently located centers such as churches, schools, senior citizen centers, and other nonprofit institutions. Aside from meeting their nutritional needs, this approach would have several other advantages. Meals in a group setting could be of important therapeutic value for lonely and isolated persons. Moreover, it could provide a framework for dealing with everyday problems as well as facilitate the delivery of other services which they so desperately need. Today the nutrition problems of older persons are both pressing and far reaching. Quite clearly, immediate action is needed now.

Before discussing the research bills, I would like to have the nutrition chapter in the latest Senate Committee on Aging annual report— "Developments in Aging 1970"-included in the hearing record.

(The material referred to may be found at the end of Senator Church's statement.)