PREPARED STATEMENT OF HELEN DUEY HOFFMAN, THE FRIENDLY SENIORS OF ALL SOULS CHURCH (UNITARIAN) FOREWORD The men and women who call themselves the Friendly Seniors meet every Tuesday in the year for lunch and a planned program, including current events, a speaker, music, announcements, movies, discussion of books, social and civic problems, and card games. The hours are 12 noon to 4 p.m. Rain or shine, an average of 45 from a membership of over 100 attend these interesting meetings. Race and religion are no bar to membership. This story, taken from the record, tells how, when, and why they organized themselves. About half of them are Unitarians. The others are from various religious groups: Protestant, Jewish, Catholic, or none at all. Politics and religion, as such, are not discussed. HISTORY The current problems group, otherwise known as the adult education group of All Souls Church (Unitarian), which meets at 9:45 a.m. Sundays, decided to use the whole month of April 1952 to discuss the challenge of an aging population. Subjects and speakers were as follows: (1) Housing: Helen Duey Hoffman. (2) Health: Dr. Joseph Mountain, U.S. Public Health (State Services Director) (3) Employment: Ewan Clague, Commissioner of Labor Statistics, Department of Labor. (4) Challenge of an Aging Population: Clark Tibbets, Chairman on Aging, Social Security Board. There were over 100 men and women attending. There seemed to be three groups: 20 to 30 years of age, who seemed much concerned about parents or older relatives; 30 to 45 years of age, who seemed much concerned about their present jobs and their future retirement; and the 45 to 90 group, vho asked few questions of the speakers, although they seemed concerned about their problems. In December 1952 the board of trustees authorized and directed that a committee of five persons be appointed to explore the feasibility of setting up an agency for the utilization of the skills and experiences of older people. It was pointed out that the use of these would benefit society and at the same time give satisfaction and recognition to older people. Also, that this is a problem of wide community importance and that it might be possible for us to demonstrate some of the steps needed to meet the situation. The committee named by the board consisted of Lloyd Luther, Helen Duey Hoffman, Commodore Frederick Dillon, Walter G. Smith, and Marian Halsey. The committee elected Commodore Dillon as chairman and Marian Halsey as secretary. To carry out the assignment, the committee wished to know (1) who the persons are who desire to have their skills and experiences made use of, with or without compensation; (2) who are the possible employers within or outside the church, willing to hire older people on a full- or part-time basis; and (3) what special projects could be developed. Employers were invited to get in touch with a member of the committee. Senior members, interested in employment of some kind, were asked to fill out a questionnaire and to arrange for an interview. The committee recognized that useful employment is a morale as well as financial problem; and is national in scope. The projects was described as not a charity, not a Goodwill Industry, and not a recreation project for older people. That is left to the District of Columbia Recreation Department. The 30 or more free recreation programs cover music, lectures, concerts, drama, public speaking, singing, dancing, etc. Announcements of the project were made in the church publications and to the 14 organizations within the church. 47461-59-5 The committee recognized the problems in general, but not in particular. One must be over 65 years of age to understand the problem. To understand what it means to be over 65, one must be that age. To know pain, one must feel pain. However, they did lay the groundwork for a project which could in time deepen their insight into the challenge of an aging population. In many respects, the committee seemed to have a broader outlook than that of any other group locally or nationally in the year 1953. The recommendation was as follows: A senior council with a social worker at its head who had a knowledge of the psychology of older people, with ability to arouse incentive, where possible, in these people, and to encourage a receptive attitude toward the efforts of the agency. Emphasis was placed on adjusting older people to their environment where possible. The Ways and means for paying the full-time social worker was important. senior council could not run itself without a skilled worker. If such could be provided, the senior council would then function along these lines: (1) Counseling. (2) Cooperation with existing agencies engaged in similar or related work-U.S. Employment Service; District of Columbia Recreation Departmen; Goodwill Industries; etc. (3) Investigation and arrangement of employment with special attention to cases furnished herewith. (4) Find employers and arrange meeting prospective employees; personnel work. (5) Establish a repository for up-to-date information on all forms of retirement-Government and private: A. Old-age pension. B. Social security benefits. C. Workers' compensation, etc. PROBLEMS The committee soon found that interest was keen, advice was plentiful, and suggestions were many. Out of all this came the following problems of people retired or at leisure as expressed to members of the committee: (1) Housing.-Older people are not acceptable in most apartment houses. The reasons given seem to be that older people are considered a nuisance and a risk. They are at home all day, are lonely, have illnesses, want and need attention. Rooms to rent are usually in big old houses with hazards of stairs, lighting, and fire escapes. Rents are too high and steadily increasing. Young people are preferred. Almost no older persons wants to buy a house, and those who have purchased one have found it unwise. (2) Health services.—Insurance companies have ways of canceling hospital, surgical, and medical insurance policies even after 20 or 30 years of payments; sometimes this is done when the policyholder reaches 60. Usually it is done at 65 years of age. Many companies will not accept people over 40. Doctor bills and medicines are steadily going up and eat deeply into savings. Nursing homes are so expensive, $300 a month up. Anything below that cost would not be sanitary or well run. Managers prefer bed patients, not those who are ambulatory. They can be better controlled. People chronically ill cannot afford to go to hospitals, and do not want to do so, since they are not usually emergency cases. There are almost no infirmaries for the chronically ill. An infirmary bed costs less than half the cost of a hospital bed. Church and fraternal homes will not take bed patients. As it is, they have long waiting lists. All property must be turned over to them. (3) Incomes.-Pensions, social security, annuities.-Three-fifths of the nearly 16 million over 65 have under $1,000 a year to live on. Very few have enough to maintain their former standard of living; hence, difficulty of adjustment to environment. Since the continuously rising cost of living affects the dollar so seriously, food and shelter costs take most of the income. Clothing, shoes, recreation, carfares, amusements, church contributions-all these are becoming less and less possible. About three-fifths of the older people are no longer part of the so-called buying public. Most older people get little or no medical care; hence, chronic illness prevails. The careful planning of 20 or 30 years ago for the day of retirement has failed of its purpose, since the dollar is now worth only 50 cents. Until a more stable economy prevails history will repeat itself. (4) Loneliness.-Cut down from a longtime standard of living to a mere existence, cut off from associates in office or industry, unwelcome after a while at their former place of employment, insufficient income to enjoy social activities with friends-all or any of these restrictions create a feeling of rejection by the social world which, in a measure, they helped to create. No longer able to pay dues to civic, religious, and social groups, or to fraternal organizations, people One out feel the sharpness of unwelcome pity and the bruise of indifference. of five continues his church relations and one out of ten his membership in organizations. Nothing contributes more to physical and mental ill health than the dejection that comes from rejection. Adjustment to conditions under such circumstances is next to impossible. A sixth-grade student described delinquency in these words: "If you ain't important, you ain't nobody no how." The same applies to older people. (5) Job employment.-Forced retirement is now a punishment after years of good services rendered. Where husband and wife had both worked for a period of years, the combined income might be enough to maintain their standard of living. People with pensions and social security are usually not looking for paid jobs. When a single person has worked in Government for 10 years or less, the pension would not be enough to live on. If, however, a job that would pay social security could be obtained to supplement a pension from a low-paid Government job, that would be a lucky break. Many such people are now looking for another full- or part-time job. WHAT HAPPENED? The committee during 1953 and 1954 found itself right up against the challenge of an aging population with problems too great to handle in a hurry. They were overwhelmed with job applications, most of them from persons under 60 years of age. They ran into the employer resistance to the point of hostility against those over 40 years of age. Conferences with the U.S. Employment Office of the district revealed a similar situation. The senior council did not get off the ground. No budget was provided to hire a full-time worker. Volunteers with no experience were willing but not able to meet the situation. There seemed to be no employers within or outside of the church willing to provide full- or part-time jobs, paid or unpaid. The chairman became seriously ill and resigned. J. Lloyd Webb, deeply interested, took over. With all of his experience, the situation did not improve, because these conditions are nationwide and not local. So the committee was dissolved. THE FRIENDLY SENIORS In October 1955 senior members of the church came together again to see what they could do in a small way for themselves. Their purpose, as you will see by the small folder attached, is "to make the later years happy years-by sharing what we know and can do, by adding to our knowledge, by doing for each other what we can, by developing new interests, following others which we have always wanted to explore, by remembering always that 'Man partly is and always hopes to be." " The program, always flexible, consisted of group singing, travel movies, discussion, current problems, book reviews, painting class, handicrafts, instrumental music, card games, etc. The church responded by providing space, equipment, and a 35-cent lunch. Attendance was about 50 out of a membership of 150. The same people did not come every time, but there was a large regular attendance. The name of the organization was put to vote, and it came out "The Friendly Seniors." Bylaws? There were none at first because the group wished to operate as flexibly as possible. But in a relatively short time it became apparent that a more formal organization was necessary. Furthermore, such organization was requested by the trustees of the church. Thus a committee on bylaws was formed, presented its report, and after considerable discussion, these bylaws were adopted. It was considered most important to insure the largest possible participation of the individual members. Where such participation does not exist, not only is there likely to be a loss of interest on the part of some who might contribute generously to the effectiveness of the group, but also a major purpose of the organization-to develop the interests and capacities of individual members-is overlooked. Some people, of course, prefer to have everything arranged for them, but this means that they are neglecting a real opportunity for personal satisfaction and development. The organization should be such as to encourage a general participation. The bylaws of the Friendly Seniors adopted in 1957 provided therefore for a progressive change of leadership every 3 months. A general chairman for this period was elected to preside at all meetings and to represent the group in various relationships. The first vice chairman was placed in charge of program and the second vice chairman in charge of hospitality. As the 3-month term of each of these officers expired, the first and second vice chairmen were to be advanced to the higher positions. This has resulted in a healthy increase in the number of those taking responsibility and an opportunity to introduce innovations in the program and activities of the organization which have enlarged the interest. From time to time, ways have been found to strengthen the bylaws to carry out this general purpose. Remembered, too, was the wise teaching of the Chinese philosopher, Lao-tse: "A leader is best when people barely know he exists. Not so good when people obey and proclaim him! Worst when people despise him. Fail to honor people, they fail to honor you. The Friendly Seniors is made up of men and women who have worked in government, industry, or professionally. Some are scientists, some educators, some teachers. Some are widows who never were employed in a paid job. The group is well named "The Friendly Seniors." For example, recently the group explored a new field of activity about trees, land, and boys. An article in Harpers, January 1959, by Senator Humphrey, author of Senate bill 812, to provide a new Youth Conservation Corps, explained how our national resources could be saved by a second CCC made up of youths 16 to 21 years of age. As a result of this study the Friendly Seniors made a statement which was sent to the 15 members of the Senate Committee on Labor and Public Welfare, signifying their interest in the bill. This was a real expression of their freedom to act as mature individuals and as a group. A dozen or more Friendly Seniors have attended some of the eight open hearings from July 23 to August 6, being held by the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Problems of the Aged and Aging. THE INTERIM PEOPLE be those who have been ignored by They are "interim people" who were years there will be no more "interim Everyone else will be under pension of living will cease to swing like a The most unfortunate people seem to everyone and especially the Government. born too early or too late. In another 10 people." The ones here now will be dead. and/or social security benefits. The cost pendulum-ever higher. So it is hoped. Here is a concrete example. Mary Smith was a teacher in a western college, which had no pension system at that time. She came east to get work of some kind that would provide a pension when she retired. She taught in a high school in Maryland, which had a pension system. But she was just over the line of age. She began tutoring the children of diplomats. Most of them paid in cash for their children's service but made no records. She made her records but could not prove them when it came to applying for social security under the self-employment arrangement. Also she taught for 9 months recruits entering the Navy. She was paid $3.75 an hour. At the time there was no social security paid for such work. A social security official went over her records carefully but found that her records did not fully comply. If our social security agency would do what it should, allowing humanity and not redtape to be the chief factor, Mary Smith at the age of 78, still as intelligent and able as ever, would have her social security benefits. It seems to me that the Federal Government should immediately include in its coverage this last residue of fast diminishing people. JANUARY 9, 1953. DEAR FRIEND: The board of trustees of the church has authorized and directed a committee to be formed (members of the committee listed below), to explore further the feasibility of the establishment of an agency for the utilization of skills and experience of older people and to report directly to the board of trustees the results of the exploration. There is, it is believed, in our own group as in the population generally, an increasing number of able-bodied older men and women who are without regular occupation and whose skills should be utilized both for the benefit of the society in which they live and for their own satisfaction and advantage. While this is a problem of wide community importance and significance, it may be possible for us to demonstrate some of the steps which may be taken to meet this situation. In order to carry out its assignment, the committee wishes to ascertain (1) who are these older people, desirous of having their skills and experience utilized in a satisfying manner with or without compensation. It would like to record names, addresses, telephone numbers, and, when convenient, arrange for personal interviews with those interested. (2) It also wishes information regarding possible employers of these older persons. Part-time employment, specific projects which may be handled as convenient, would be particularly helpful. These employers may be found in the congregation and in its affiliated organizations or outside. Information leading to possible employers outside the church would be particularly helpful. If you are interested in this project from the point of view of either worker or employer, the committee hopes that you will get in touch with one of its members listed below. With your help we hope that something of practical value to the group and to the community can be done. Yours sincerely, COMMITTEE ON PROJECT FOR SENIOR MEMBERS, Mr. LLOYD S. LUTHER. Mr. J. WALTER SMITH. Miss MARION S. HALSEY. REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON A PROJECT FOR SENIOR MEMBERS THE DIRECTIVE The board of trustees of All Souls Church, Unitarian, 16th and Harvard Streets NW., Washington, D.C., has authorized and directed a committee to be formed (members of the committee appended below) to explore further the feasibility of the establishment of an agency for the utilization of skills and experience of older people and to report directly to the board of trustees the results of the exploration. It is immediately recognized by the committee that this directive has many aspects, all of which cannot be explored by the committee within a reasonable length of time. The utilization of the skills and experiences of older people for useful employment from a morale as well as from a financial viewpoint has become an increasing national problem. LIMITING THE DIRECTIVE The committee understands: 1. This is not a project the object of charity. 2. This is not a project similar to that operated by the Good Will Industries. 3. This is not a recreation project for older people although recreation may find its place here. Rest and recreation are recuperation from work and not an aim in themselves. The committee is fully cognizant of the work of the Recreation Department of the District of Columbia, a Government agency with a paid staff. See pamphlet published by this agency monthly where some 30 more or less free recreation programs are listed, covering such fields as music, lectures, concerts, drama, public speaking, singing, dancing, etc., many of which might appeal to older people with initiative and desire to participate. SPECIFIC EXPLORATION This is a project for utilization of skills and experience of older people in the constituency of the main church and the Montgomery County Unitarian Center. By older people is meant around 60 years of age or older, or retired people, or those who wish a more satisfactory outlet for their abilities for compensation, or Volunteers who are interested in assisting in the project without compensation. |