SECRETARY OF HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE, CHAIRMAN SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE SECRETARY OF LABOR CHAIRMAN, U.S. CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION ADMINISTRATOR, HOUSING AND HOME FINANCE AGENCY ADMINISTRATOR OF VETERANS AFFAIRS PRESIDENT'S COUNCIL ON AGING May 14, 1963 Dear Mr. President: One year ago today, you issued Executive Order 11022 establishing the President's Council on Aging. The order directed the Council to make annual reports and to disseminate information to public and private agencies and organizations having functions or interests in fields relating to the problems of the aging. I have the honor to transmit, on this anniversary date, the Council's first annual report. "The Older American" is a brief portrayal of the situation of nearly 18 million people over 65. We have underscored- The individuality of each older American--his hopes, The importance of enabling older Americans to live in The importance--to them and to society--of their social The need for special assistance for older Americans who At a meeting of the Council at the White House on March 14, 1963, you In the first year of its work, the Council has undertaken to carry out the charges placed on it in those areas of concern deemed to require priority attention. Our recommendations for immediate Federal action were previously submitted and were reflected in your special message to Congress, "Elderly Citizens of Our Nation," February 21, 1963. A summary of the recommendations in your message and an analysis of the current status of action on them is included in the Appendix. The specific assignments made to the Council in your message are being acted on, appropriate legislative proposals have been drafted and submitted to Congress, and the studies and Executive action called for have been undertaken. Reports on these latter activities will be submitted to you at a later date. Specifically, the Council is carrying out its responsibilities through the following committee structure: An Executive Committee which meets at least monthly to guide the total Council program; a Committee on Housing the Elderly, headed by the Honorable Robert C. Weaver, Administrator, Housing and Home Finance Agency; a Committee on Employment of the Older Worker, headed by the Honorable W. Willard Wirtz, Secretary of Labor; a Committee on Nursing Homes, headed by Dr. Luther Terry, Surgeon General, Public Health Service, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare; and a Committee on Welfare Services, headed by Dr. Ellen Winston, Commissioner of Welfare, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. The Committee on Housing will submit recommendations for appropriate Federal action to assist older citizens with modernization, rehabilitation, or sale of their homes, as directed in your message. A legislative proposal for rental housing standards for persons receiving old-age assistance has been introduced in Congress. The Committee is also working on the development of programs of services for persons in group residential facilities, particularly in public housing programs, and for the expansion of the number of such facilities. The Committee on Employment of Older Workers is focusing its efforts on the problem of discrimination in employment of older workers and the problem of increasing opportunities for gainful employment, including employment for those persons past normal retirement age. With respect to discrimination, recommendations will be made to you by October 31, 1963, for appropriate Federal action. With respect to increasing employment opportunities for elderly workers, specific legislative authorization for a demonstration program has been requested from Congress. The Committee on Nursing Homes is concerned with the broad range of long-term care, medically oriented facilities. Areas of study that may lead to action proposals include: The need for better standards and licensure programs; the need for more and better restorative, rehabilitative, and social services in the majority of nursing homes; and the need for further analysis of the costs of providing various levels of services. The Committee on Welfare Services has a wide range of opportunities for action. Among the areas in which studies are being carried on and action proposals are being developed are: Improvement and extension of homemaker services, protective services, consumer education, and adult education. In addition, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the Department of Labor is cooperating with this Committee in the development of basic budget standards for older people The members of the Council appreciate the opportunity provided by the Council mechanism to achieve maximum coordination and effectiveness for their respective programs in the field of aging. We share the conviction of millions of citizens that the independence, the opportunities for usefulness, and the well-being of older Americans are of paramount importance not only to them but to our whole society. contents WHO IS THE OLDER AMERICAN? EVER INDEPENDENT Income.. Employment. Housing.. Retirement planning and counseling A PLACE IN THE COMMUNITY Volunteer services... Education.. Citizenship... Creative activity and recreation SOMEONE TO CARE. Services in the home Homes for the ill or dependent A SHORT LOOK BACK, A LONG LOOK AHEAD appendix Summary and analysis of action on message from President Kennets is the Congres mate to the odens citizens of our Nation, February 21, 1963. Table 1.-Dollar dimensions of Federal programs in face var 1363 Chart 12.--How these agencies serve the Older American Chart 13.—Marital status of the Older American, 1950 and 1962 Chart 14.—Estimated proportion of veterans in population aged 65 and over 161-2001 Table 2.—The aging population: State trends, 1961 and projections for 571 Table 3.-Old-age assistance, 1962... Table 4.-Medical assistance for the aged (MAA, calendar year:962 List of Selected Government Publications on Aging |