Milford chronicle., 1953-11-20
Urge Creation Of
Board To Study Problem
OF State Aged
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continued from first page)
seven was 45 to 65. Today the ra-
ito is one in five.
The big increase in the relative
number of older persons is the re-
suit largely of gains in the con-
troll of infectious diseases, other
advances in the fields of preven-
tion and medical care and the gen.
eTal rise in the standard of living.
Fewer people die in childhood or
their early adult years; more live
to their sixties and seventies.
At its meeting the conference
discussed different aspects of this
increase at a panel in the after
noon and a dinner meeting Tues
day night where the national pic
ture was outlined by Mrs. George
F. Mccoy, assistant to Mrs. Oveta
Culp Hobby, secretary of health,
education and welfare.
AS Dr. Frederick B. Parker, the
conference president, summed up
the whole thing in the afternoon
1--WE are dealing with an entirely
new pTOblem-Or perhaps / should
say we are dealing with an old
problem in a new dimension"
There was general agreement al
the panel that while the figures are
plain enough and that some of the
problems arising from them are al
ready showing themselves, there is
still a relatively small body OF
knowledge on what needs to be
done and ways and means of do
ing it.
Thus DR.. Prickett reported that
he had made his recommendation
to the Governor as the best steT
known at the present time of get.
ting the necessary knowledge.
The Governors committee he en-.
visions would have a membership
of not less than 50-and "perhap:
as many as gathered from
all parts of the state. Generally, its
makeup would compare to the
Commission on Children and Youth
The committee. he said, should
not be appointed on political lines
AS a guide for any future legisla
ton that might come from tn,
study he suggested that there b,
a member from each House of tn,
General Assembly Of the two poll
tical faiths.
Other than that, said the doctor
the members should have on,
thing in cOmmOn-the deep cOnvic
ton of the importance of the stud,
and the need for workable solu
tiOns to the problems that they find
The committee, he said, wOult
not work as a whole. The reasol
for the large membership would b.
that it could be broken up int
smaller groups so that the variou
facets of the whole picture cOult
be studied as quickly as possible
DR.. Henry H. Welch, executiv
director of the Welfare Council O
Delaware, another panel member
commented that any such commit
tee should have an adequate pai
staff for it's fact finding work. H
also voiced the opinion that a grea
deal of work in the same fiel
might be done by volunteer groups
Moderator of the panel was My
ron MilbOuer, director of the Della
ware district office of the Socia
Security Administration.
Other members were GOrdol
Godbey, associate director of tn
University of Delaware's extension
division; Kenneth c. Lambert O
the State Department of Publ
Welfare; DR.. G. GOrham Lane. as
sociate professor of psychology a
| Delaware, and DR.. Ralph G. Bende
OF the Dupont COmpany's person
mel research division.
Some of the questions discusse
were the degree of neglect of Olde
citizens at the present time, tn
setting of an arbitrary age for rC
tirement, major obstacles to adc
quate physical care of older Del
sons, and providing job OppOrtun
ties for them.
In commenting on interests to
found for those who have retire
DR.. Lane commented that interest
and attitudes don't change-the
intensity.
If a man waits until old age I
get interested in something. he
never be interested" he said.
There was discussion of tn
known fact that the aged have 10,
incomes and that the old age as
sistance programs are largely in
adequate. 1t was pointed out ths
the Delaware average of S38
month compares to the nations
average of $4S a month. At tn
same time it is known that few {
those over 65 have protection
against medical costs.
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