December 1, 1971
Page 43764
THE CREDO OF THE ELDERLY – A PHILOSOPHY OF AGING
Mr. MUSKIE. Mr. President, on November 4, 2971, the Maine Delegation to the White House Conference on Aging adopted a fine statement entitled, "The Credo of the Elderly – A Philosophy of Aging.”
This statement outlines a superb philosophy and set of goals. It shows once again that the elderly can define their values and needs better than anyone else. They have listed eloquently the part older Americans want to play in American life, and the part they should play. Their "credo" makes very clear what Government should do, and what the responsibilities of the American people are. Above all, the "credo" pinpoints the basic issue:
America must consider and decide ways of achieving purposeful, primary goals to give aging man the choice of returning to a fuller existence, or America shall continue to relegate aging man to the back door stoop of history so he may invisibly and unnoticed slide into extinction. This last choice is not acceptable.
The "credo" reflects public policy aims I endorse strongly. I hope "The Credo of the Elderly – A Philosophy of Aging," written by the Maine delegation, will be adopted as a resolution by the entire White House Conference on Aging. It would be very appropriate for the conference to adopt the "credo" as its own philosophical statement.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the entire "Credo of the Elderly – A Philosophy of Aging" be printed in the RECORD.
There being no objection, the statement was ordered to be printed in the RECORD, as follows:
THE CREDO OF THE ELDERLY – A PHILOSOPHY OF AGING
We aging Americans place great emphasis on leading a life of value – to our ration, states, communities, friends, families, and to ourselves. America's older citizens want to and are able to contribute to the good of our fellow men, even if such contribution lies outside the traditional realms of employment and productivity. We want to help improve the quality of life of each citizen of the United states regardless of their age. Our personal experiences, knowledge and skills are our qualifications. We are a strong, vital segment of society. We possess the power of a people.
We aging Americans believe that attaining the status of senior citizen is merely beginning another stage in the life of each man, and is not a signal to withdraw from life. Each person ages from birth to death. This is the idea inspiring the phrase "aging man." We are all aging men. We do not wish to be taken from the mainstream of life and put on the shelf away from the everyday activities of society. America's exiling of us, as the unwanted generation is its loss: its spiritual, its morale, its human, its economic failure.
We aging Americans believe that America must provide older citizens a full and equal opportunity for meeting sustenance and social needs – the same opportunity for which is enjoyed by our fellow men. Aging man has been transformed by the events of American society.
Formerly aging man obtained his sustenance and satisfied his social needs in a large close knit family whose balanced activity provided both nourishment and social needs at the same time.
Now aging man gains his sustenance outside the home and has no family under his roof. In one instance, aging man was dependent on all members of his family, in the other instance he is dependent on impersonal organizations, systems, and the society as a whole. To continue fulfilling our role in history, to continue helping our fellow man, and to enrich our society, we must have a full and equal opportunity to attain the basic essentials of life.
While our particular page in the history of mankind is the choice of our Creator, it is our place in history which surrounds us with the consequences of American society. We do not want a dole, but rather help in our time of crisis. We wish to live with minimum dependence on other people and government.
To achieve this credo, we believe older citizens must establish and operate their own programs and services. These programs must be distinct, visibly separate and clearly identifiable as intended to benefit older citizens.
To assist us, we believe the government of the United States of America and each State of the Union must establish programs which are mutually acceptable to us, and which are equally distinct from and visibly separate from other government services. These programs must be administered by units on aging created at the highest eschelons of government and charged with ultimate line authority and responsibility for any government programs serving older citizens.
Such distinctness must be maintained in legislation, sources of funds, and generally in the operation of programs and services. We believe that our policy provides that programs serving the elderly may be integrated with programs serving broader populations in those instances where gross duplication of identical programs would otherwise result. We also believe that programs with features * * *.
First these programs must insure that older people receive income adequate to obtain the basic essentials of life from the market place like our fellow Americans; rather than be income supplement programs like donated commodities, old age assistance, subsidized housing, and medicaid. Secondly, the elderly with a time of crisis because of age, physical condition or social status must be assisted by appropriations providing services directly to them, such as homemakers, meals on wheels, home health care, and nursing homes.
The basic issue before this conference is: America must consider and decide ways of achieving purposeful primary goals to give aging man the choice of returning to a fuller existence, or America shall continue to relegate aging man to the back door stoop of history so he may invisibly and unnoticed slide into extinction. This last choice is not acceptable.
Responsibility for achieving this rests on the shoulders of all Americans, but especially our own. All aging Americans are needed to grasp the gauntlet of this credo. We shall express the status of our survival to all Americans. We shall carry our call to all the sources of help, to all the seats of power. Through our own groups, we shall shatter the bondage of our geriatric shackles. We shall resurrect our independence by redirecting the country's resources. We shall reestablish our role in society by planning, directing and operating services to help our fellow man. We shall attain a life of greater value.
Now, therefore on this 4th day of November, we the undersigned aging Americans of the State of Maine adopt this Credo of the Elderly and recommend its adoption by the 1971 White House Conference on Aging; not with the intent of personal gain, but rather remembering that what we achieve today will benefit those who follow, for we will soon be gone. We accept the challenge of this credo. We pledge ourselves to it. We shall achieve it by action.
[LIST OF SIGNERS OMITTED]