Mrs. STENGLE. Cellar, yes. Senator CLARK. Did you do a lot of canning in those days? Senator CLARK. Would you can meat? Mrs. STENGLE. Oh, yes, and I remember jackrabbits. Mr. STENGLE. Yes. Mrs. STENGLE. We didn't always have that. Of course, that was fresh meat. Senator CLARK. Canned jackrabbit. I have never eaten that. Are there still a lot of jackrabbits out around here? Mr. STENGLE. No. Senator CLARK. What happened to them? Mr. STENGLE. Too many hunting them. Senator CLARK. Is hunting good out here any more? Mr. STENGLE. More deer. Senator CLARK. What is the closest town in Iowa to Canton? Mr. STENGLE. Inwood. Senator CLARK. I am going over and start a hearing at 2 o'clock this afternoon near Mason City about 180 miles from here. Mr. STENGLE. Where is the plane? Senator CLARK. The plane is in Sioux Falls. I have never ridden on one of these buses. Mrs. STENGLE. This is one of the old type roads. Mr. STENGLE. This is about the first paved road they put in. Mr. STENGLE. 1927. Senator CLARK. 1927. It has held up pretty well. That is 50 years next year. Mr. STENGLE. It was put in before I was married and that was 49 years. Senator CLARK. Mr. Stengle says it was put in 49 years ago, in 1927. Mr. STENGLE. We would go to town sometimes and get stuck along here. Senator CLARK. Really. Mr. STENGLE. Yes. Senator CLARK. Where did you teach? Mrs. STENGLE. Around the corner back there. Senator CLARK. How did you learn to be a teacher? Mrs. STENGLE. Normal. Senator CLARK. Normal school. Mrs. STENGLE. Yes. Senator CLARK. Did you do that in your last 2 years of high school? Mrs. STENGLE. Part of it the last 2 years of high school. Senator CLARK. How old were you when you started teaching school? Mrs. STENGLE. Nineteen. Senator CLARK. Country school. Mrs. STENGLE. Yes. Senator CLARK. How many years did you teach? Mrs. STENGLE. Five. Senator CLARK. Five years. Mr. STENGLE. She is still teaching. Senator CLARK. Teaching you and others? Senator CLARK. Is she a good lecturer? Mr. STENGLE. Certainly is. Senator CLARK. How long have you been married? Mrs. STENGLE. Forty-three years. Senator CLARK. I say "Kant-n," I notice several of you say "Kan-ton." ANSWER. This area was settled by Norwegians. There were other nationalities. Do you want to go to the Senior Citizens Center? Senator CLARK. Yes. Can we do that? ANSWER. Yes. Senator CLARK. I think that is where they were going to meet us. ANSWER. I think they are following us. You will see our little housing unit on the right as we go by. Senator CLARK. You point it out to me. Who built this, the Farmers Home Administration? ANSWER. I don't know. There they are, and they are beautiful. Senator CLARK. Very nice. ANSWER. That is the community building where they have parties and washers and dryers. Senator CLARK. I think this would be great. ANSWER. It is a beautiful center. Senator CLARK. That is about as nice as I have ever seen. ANSWER. You will get to see the other one, too, the Elms. That is the other elderly housing unit. I think the next time, Mae, we better all drive our cars and meet you. Now isn't this a beautiful town? Senator CLARK. It certainly is. There's the courthouse. [Whereupon, at 12:45 p.m., the bus ride concluded.] APPENDIXES Appendix 1 MATERIAL SUBMITTED BY WITNESSES ITEM 1. LETTER FROM SHIRLEY OVERLAND1 TO SENATOR DICK CLARK, DATED AUGUST 20, 1976 DEAR SENATOR CLARK: Transportation was expressed as the No. 1 need for South Dakota. I agree. However, I am firmly convinced that our ministry needs to be to the total person. This includes meals, shopping trips, volunteer oppor tunities, lifelong learning, recreation, opportunity for spiritual growth, to mention only a few. I have been in communities where a meal was provided, a nutrition movie viewed, and people moved silently to their bus for a ride home. Multipurpose senior centers can exist with volunteers. Seniors and others even in the smallest communities can be motivated to serve their fellow human beings. I've seen it happen and know it can be done in a nonthreatening way. Title XX Means Test for Transportation: I request that group eligibility be declared for elderly transportation. After going through the means test twice since February (because of social security raise) we find 85 percent of our riders are eligible to ride without making a copayment. There is also a segment that will not fill in the forms. They are back home, isolated. They are too proud to reveal their income. The time of administering the means test (because we cannot afford to hire two extra employees) has taken away from our home care and outreach calls. Senator McGovern's meals-on-wheels: I feel a grave concern for this approach unless it can be administered with some human caring and person-to-person involvement. It should be incorporated into a title VII or title III program. If this is not possible, then some caring group must, of necessity, be responsible. People eat because they desire to live and care about themselves as persons. Without human contact the costly program will be unsuccessful in accomplishing the intended goal. In response to a statement made at Sioux Falls, S. Dak. Hearing: Our Huron Area Senior Center was declared "not visible" for a $450,000 section 202 HUD loan. The statement was made from Washington HUD that it was a lot of money to go into a rural area that wasn't visible. If the Denver office (John Otto) would have had input, they would have realized the total situation. HUD loans have been made to Huron College and no payments made for several years. The Denver Office looked upon this proposal as a life saver for the college and a chance for HUD to recoup some of their funds. The decision however, was a political one and was made in Washington. Senior center facilities: Senior centers exist in old creameries, hatcheries, and condemned buildings, yet we continue to build fine schools, library facilities, parks, etc. "Senior citizens take the hand-me-downs of their communities," according to William Pothier, speaker at the 1975 NCOA convention. Joseph Jordon, also at the 1975 NCOA convention, stated "The quality of the senior center building equates what the community thinks of its older population." Jordon also stated that "Someday every community will have an adequate service providing center as natural as a school for the kids." Nursing homes in South Dakota: 7 percent are in nursing homes in South Dakota. This could be reduced to 3 percent if adequate rural multipurpose senior 1 See statement, p. 292. centers were provided. Hon. Morris Udall at the 1975 NCOA convention asked, "Is it proper for the Federal Government to allow elderly folks to be placed in nursing homes for profit and reduce the services that could keep them in their own home or apartment?" He continued by saying that the cost is $7 billion a year to give nursing homes a profit. That's a lot of money, isn't it? Alcoholism in the elderly: There is a marked increase in this disease among the elder American. NCOA is presently studying the problem and will be reporting at the 1976 convention. Dr. Johnson of the Johnson Institute (a nonprofit foundation in Minneapolis that deals with this problem) states that the increased numbers, particularly in the Minneapolis high-rise apartments, is most alarming. This is also true in other communities. I personally know one practicing alcoholic that remains sober because he has a daily title VII meal. If he misses this meal he is in trouble and back in the hospital. For him the meal and the fellowship really pays off. What about those that no one ever sees or cares about? They die. The Alcoholics Anonymous program assists many, but a knowledgeable outreach worker could help to "bring up the bottom." |