Mr. BRADEMAS. Your statement was very helpful.

Can you give the subcommittee some judgment on the number of the population 65 and over in Elkhart County?

Mr. WEAVER. The national average is 10 percent as I understand. I am under the impression Elkhart County is just about the national average.

Mr. BRADEMAS. That would mean approximately 11,000 people? Mr. WEAVER. Yes.

Mr. BRADEMAS. You say there are many persons in the community, are you referring to Elkhart County or the Goshen community?

I have been trying to get some more specific picture of how many persons we are talking about and/or what the needs are.

Mr. WEAVER. We have been in operation 3 years and we have filled our facility to its limits. We have applications for enough to twothirds fill it again.

Through my interviews with these people I learn what some of their needs are. As a result of this contact with them I have come to this impression. I have not made a survey or anything of that type.

Mr. BRADEMAS. I should think it would be rather useful if one were able in a given community to make some judgment, when one is making an inventory as it were, of community needs in education, health, and problems of the aging, for example. One would surely want to get as accurate a judgment as possible on these matters so we could get a clear picture of the dimensions of the problem.

I was also struck, and I take it Mr. Hansen was also, by your statement that you could provide seven hot meals a week for $8.25 and do so with paid employees; is that correct?

Mr. WEAVER. Yes.

Mr. BRADEMAS. In the Meals-on-Wheels program, who we just heard testimony from this morning, charges people I believe $1 for each meal that is served, but it is provided by volunteers.

That is really quite impressive. I think it is a great tribute to you. I was impressed also, as was Mr. Hansen, by your appreciation of the central points in this bill, not only the provision of a nutritional meal but also a concern to do so in an atmosphere that would be helpful psychologically, and emotionally make their lives richer. Finally, I think you are the first witness to call attention to section 703 of the bill which makes possible direct funding of the program.

If the State does not want to participate, there ought to be no reason, and I believe it is the philosophy behind that section, why a given community should be penalized because the State isn't interested.

As you know, Indiana only this year was one of the last two States in the 50 in the Union to agree to participate in the Older Americans Act programs.

Our people had been denied, the older people had been denied the benefits of the Older Americans Act program because of this failure to participate.

I have one other question, Mr. Weaver. We have discussed with other witnesses the problem of educating older persons to an awareness of a need to eat nutritionally balanced meals, and I know that this is something that must give Mrs. Atwood a great distress, and Miss Showalter.

Do you have any recommendations how we could do that job more effectively?

Mr. WEAVER. I think it is a real job. It needs to be worked at. I think doctors can recommend when the program becomes available to people who need assistance after meals are being provided. I am sure a great deal of work needs to be done in this area.

Mr. BRADEMAS. Perhaps it is fortunate we had these young people with us this morning and this afternoon. They can learn early in life the importance of good nutritional habits so that we won't have to be preoccupied with teaching them good dietary habits when they get older.

Thank you very much.

Thank you again to all of our witnesses in Elkhart. Your testimony has been extremely helpful to us.

This subcommittee is adjourned.

(Whereupon, at 4:45 p.m., the committee adjourned.)

OLDER AMERICANS ACT AMENDMENTS FOR

NUTRITIONAL SERVICES

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 1970

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,

SELECT SUBCOMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

OF THE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND LABOR,

Washington, D.C.

The subcommittee met at 10:15 a.m., pursuant to recess, in room 2175, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. John Brademas (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding.

Present: Representatives Brademas, Dent, Bell.
Also present: Representative Quie.

Staff members present: Jack Duncan, counsel; Ronald L. Katz, assistant staff director; Arlene Horowitz, staff assistant; Toni Immerman, clerk, and Marty LaVor, minority legislative coordinator.

Mr. BRADEMAS. The subcommittee will come to order for the purpose of further consideration of the bill H.R. 17763, a bill which would establish a nutritional program for the elderly.

This measure, as you know, was introduced in the House by the distinguished gentleman from Florida, Mr. Pepper, and is cosponsored by some 95 Members of the House of Representatives of both political parties.

The subcommittee is most pleased to be able to welcome today the distinguished Commissioner of the Administration on Aging, and Special Assistant to the President, the Honorable John B. Martin. Mr. Martin, we are very pleased to have you with us and regret that more of our colleagues are not able to be here, but we meet at a time when many subcommittees are in session, as you may know, and when there is a drive on to recess Congress.

The Chair uses the word advisedly, because it is his understanding that the House, in any event, will recess in about 3 weeks and that we shall be returning after the election.

So that in the event we don't complete action on this bill before election, there may be a chance to take a look at it after the third of November.

If you would go right ahead, sir, we would be pleased to hear from you.

STATEMENT OF JOHN B. MARTIN, COMMISSIONER, ADMINISTRATION ON AGING, SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT; ACCOMPANIED BY MISS ISABELLE KELLEY, ASSISTANT DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR OF THE FOOD AND NUTRITION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE; HON. STEPHEN SIMONDS, COMMISSIONER OF THE COMMUNITY SERVICES ADMINISTRATION, SOCIAL AND REHABILITATION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE; AND HON. THOMAS BRYANT, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY FOR THE OFFICE OF HEALTH AFFAIRS

Mr. MARTIN. I have a longer and more complete statement, but I would like to work from a summary version.

I am pleased to be able to appear before the distinguished chairman of the Select Subcommittee on Education of the House Education and Labor Committee today to discuss H.R. 17763, a bill which proposes to establish a nationwide nutrition program for the elderly.

I am accompanied by Miss Isabelle Kelley, Assistant Deputy Ad ministrator of the Food and Nutrition Service of the Department of Agriculture; the Honorable Stephen Simonds, Commissioner of the Community Services Administration, Social and Rehabilitation Service of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare; and the Honorable Thomas Bryant, Associate Director of the Office of Economic Opportunity for the Office of Health Affairs.

Miss Kelley is here in connection with her responsibilities for administering the food stamp program. Mr. Simonds administers the agency in HEW that will be responsible for implementing the proposed social service amendments to the Social Security Act. As you know, the OEO Office of Health Affairs includes the emergency food and medical services program, which has given OEO considerable insight into the nutritional needs of older persons.

I will present the position of the administration on H.R. 17763. At the conclusion of my statement we will be pleased to answer any questions which you may care to ask the members of the panel.

The Administration on Aging, as you know, Mr. Chairman, has long been concerned with achieving effective solutions to the complex nutritional needs of the elderly. Because H.R. 17763 addresses itself specifically to those needs, I wish to congratulate Congressman Pepper for bringing this worthy concern to the attention of the Congress.

Before I launch into a discussion of H.R. 17763 itself, I would like to take this opportunity, Mr. Chairman, to discuss some of the aspects and benefits of the nutrition programs carried out by the Administration on Aging under the authority of the Older Americans Act,

As you are aware, the problem of obtaining adequate nutrition is a major concern for many of the 20 million Americans in our society who have reached age 65. Preliminary data from the National Nutrition Survey indicates that the diets of the aged in this country are far from adequate.

Moreover, our research shows that the nutritional difficulties of the elderly are frequently compounded by characteristics commonly as