18 million faces

Listen to the Older American, and he will tell you who he is. In 18 million ways he will tell you, for each Older American has a distinctly personal story to tell.

Their stories are also the story of our Nation's history, for that is no more and no less than the history of our people as they went about their business.

The faces of older Americans represent democracy and freedom ripened into the golden fruit of wisdom and knowledge. The lines in their faces were formed by frowns and smiles, triumph and defeat, by progress as well as problems. This is the Older American.

And it was recognized by economists, social scientists, physicians, Government officials, and others that America was going to have a serious crisis on its hands if this growing group did not receive special attention.

Their number, for example, had increased in the first half of the 20th century from approximately 3 million, representing 4 percent of the population, to 12.3 million, representing more than 8 percent of the population. Thus, their number was not only zooming up, but so was their proportion to the rest of the population.

Source: 1900 through 1960, census of population; 1980, U.S. Bureau of the Census, "Current Population Reports; Estimates," Series P-25, No. 251. For population 2000, Division of the Actuary, Social Security Administration.

Chart 1

As a result, Government agencies, universities and colleges, community and national organizations, employers, and private foundations began to probe and study. Considering the short time they have been at it, the results have been monumental. Rarely, if ever, have so many spotlights been trained so steadily on a social development. Study of the characteristics of our older people began to uncover the dimensions of some of their interests, problems, needs-and potential opportunities.

The first thing that stood out was the woefully inadequate income most aged people had to live on. Fortunately, a big step had been taken in 1935 when the social security system was established to dealat least, in a small way-with the loss of income in retirement.

When President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act on August 14, 1935, he described it as "The cornerstone in a structure which is being built, but is by no means complete. . . ."

Since 1940 when the first payments were made under social security, the system has been improved and expanded seven times-all since 1949. In 1950, very substantial changes were made to improve and extend the system.

The social security system has become, as was its purpose, a founda

tion of financial security on which the individual older person could build greater security through his own devices.

At the same time the social security program was evolving, private employers and unions were working together to develop private pension plans for workers when they retired. In 1935, only about 1,100 employers had pension plans and only about 2.2 million employees were covered. Today, there are more than 25,000 plans covering 23 million workers.

However, despite the relatively early discovery of the need for the establishment of public and private systems of providing income in retirement, adequate income among the aged is still the exception rather than the rule.

In fact, for all the interest and activity which has surrounded the Older American in the past 15 years, this one conclusion stands out: He has gained longer life as a result of scientific, economic, and social advances in this century-but is left without the financial means to solve satisfactorily many economic, social, and medical problems.

This conclusion is one that we, as a nation, have not fully faced. But it is one that millions of our older people have to face-day in, day out. Many are poorly housed, poorly fed. Many are forced to turn to their children or to public charity for the medical care they need. Many have been shoved into a dull, meaningless existence because the opportunities to remain active to use their skills and talents are not available.

The responsibility to help them rests on us as a nation, because many of them cannot solve their greatest problems alone and because their problems have not been of their own choosing but forced on them by a changing society.

It is a responsibility which, if not met now, will grow greater each day. The nearly 18 million older Americans will be 20 million by 1970 and over 32 million by the year 2000.

This is always true when This task clearly must be levels of government, by

Assigning the responsibility is not easy. a task-by its nature-must be shared. widely shared. It must be shared by all private organizations, and by individuals. It is no more the sole responsibility of the Federal Government to deal with the problems of our older people than it is the sole responsibility of the communities where they live.

Only through a partnership can the Nation hope, in time, to solve the problems.

Some of them can best be dealt with through Federal legislation, and President Kennedy has already in his special message to the Congress made a series of proposals.

Others can be solved only by changes in individual attitudes and through more vigorous application of the laws and programs available.

What we need to keep constantly in mind is that the same society which has given Americans longer life has not developed enough ways for making the additional years useful and meaningful.

Somehow, through leadership and education, it must be recognized that a citizen's desire to live a purposeful life does not end with his retirement. It must also be made clear that skills and talents do not suddenly end with retirement.

We should seek out new means to use these talents, which all too often go unused. It is an incredible waste not to find some way to put this vast reservoir of ability into action.

None of what has been said before should obscure the substantial progress toward assuring greater dignity and security for the Nation's older citizens made in the past 15 years.

But so much still has to be done.

As President Kennedy stated in his message to the Congress:

Our national record in providing for our aged is a proud and hopeful one. But it can and must improve. We can continue to move for ward by building needed Federal programs, by developing means for comprehensive action in our communities, and by doing all we can, as a Nation and as individuals, to enable our senior citizens to achieve both a better standard of life and a more active, useful and meaningful role in a society that owes them much and can still learn much from them.

Ever Independent

To most older Americans, a high degree of independence is almost as valuable as life itself. It is their touchstone for self-respect and dignity. It is the measure they use to decide their importance to others. And, it is their source of strength for helping those around them.

Whether they enjoy the degree of independence they desire depends partly on the role they play in the community, partly on the condition of their health, and partly on the adequacy of their incomes, housing, medical care, and other essentials.

No order of importance can be given to these ingredients of independence. Their importance to older Americans will vary, not only from person to person but-the chances are from time to time in their lives.

INCOME

What is an adequate income for a person or a couple, 65 or older? Is it a major portion-say 75 percent of the income that was available during the working years? Is it enough income to cover the "modest but adequate” budget developed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics? Is it an income related to the average income of the working population?

No matter what standard might be used to judge the adequacy of the incomes of today's older people, one point is clear: Their incomes are usually inadequate for even a modest level of living.

This is true even though some of their expenses may be lower than those of younger people and even though they may no longer have the various costs connected with work or the expense of educating their children. It is true even though they get tax relief not available to younger people and even though many of them own their homes free and clear and no longer have to pay rent or make mortgage payments. Despite the obvious inadequacy of their incomes generally, today's older people have much more income than aged people had a dozen years ago. In 1950, there were 12.3 million Americans 65 and over with a total income of about $15 billion, while the 17 million 65 and over in 1961 had a total income of $35 billion.

Thus, while the number of older people increased about 40 percent in the past decade, their total income rose by more than 130 percent. This compares, for the same period, with an increase of 80 percent in the total personal income for the entire population of the country.

This is not entirely a plus, however. For one thing, the purchasing power of the dollar in 1961 was 20 percent less than in 1950. For another, more of the Nation's older people now live in urban areas where costs are high.

Then, too, a substantial part of this total goes to a relatively small group. Over 200,000 older Americans-1 out of 85-had incomes of $20,000 or more, and over 50,000 had incomes of $50,000 or more in 1961.

The overriding fact, however, is that far more older people today are dependent on sources other than current earnings for their liveli