Problems of the Aging
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PROBLEMS OF THE AGING HEARINGS BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON FEDERAL AND STATE ACTIVITIES OF THE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON AGING UNITED STATES SENATE EIGHTY-SEVENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION Part 4.-Las Vegas, Nev. OCTOBER 25, 1961 Printed for the use of the Special Committee on Aging U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 75660 WASHINGTON: 1962 SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON AGING PAT MCNAMARA, Michigan, Chairman GEORGE A. SMATHERS, Florida EVERETT McKINLEY DIRESEN, Illinois CLAIR ENGLE, California BARRY GOLDWATER, Arizona HARRISON A. WILLIAMS, JR., New Jersey NORRIS COTTON, New Hampshire OREN E. LONG, Hawaii FRANK CARLSON, Kansas MAURINE B. NEUBERGER, Oregon WALLACE F. BENNETT, Utah WAYNE MORSE, Oregon PRESCOTT BUSH, Connecticut ALAN BIBLE, Nevada JACOB K. JAVITS, New York JOSEPH S. CLARK, Pennsylvania FRANK CHURCH, Idaho JENNINGS RANDOLPH, West Virginia EDMUND S. MUSKIE, Maine EDWARD V. LONG, Missouri BENJAMIN A. SMITH II. Massachusetts WILLIAM G. RMIDY, Staff Director SUBCOMMITTEE ON FEDERAL AND STATE AcTIvITIES JENNINGS RANDOLPH, West Virginia, Chairman CLAIR ENGLE, California EVERETT McKINLEY DIRKSEN, Illinois HARRISON A. WILLIAMS, JR., New Jersey BARRY GOLDWATER, Arizona OREN E. LONG, HawaII WAYNE MORSE, Oregon ALAN BIBLE, Nevada FRANK CHURCH. Idaho EDMUND S. MUSKIE, Maine EDWARD V. LONG, Missouri NOTE.-Thirteen hearings on Federal and State activities in the field of aging were held and they are identified as follows: Part 1.-Washington, D.C. Part 8.-Spokane, Wash. Part 2.-Trenton, N.J. Part 9.-Honolulu, Hawaii Part 3.-Los Angeles, Calif. Part 10.-Lihue, Hawaii Part 4.-Las Vegas, Nev. Part I1.-Walluku, Hawaii Part 5.-Eugene, Oreg. Part 12.-Huo, Hawaii Part 6.-Pocatello, Idaho Part 13.-Kansas City, Mo. Part 7.-Boise, Idaho II CONTENTS CHRONOLOGICAL LIST OF WITNESSES Page Hon. Jennings Randolph, a U.S. Senator from the State of West Virginia- 549 Richard Ham, executive director, Nevada Employment Security Depart- ment-- _-- ____-- _______--________________--_____--_ :------- 552 George S. Jolly, commissioner of labor, State of Nevada - 553 William E. Schultz, employment service director, State of Nevada -557 Dr. Daniel J. Hurley, director, State health department, State of Nevada 560 Charles Cheatham, Las Vegas district director, Nevada State Welfare Department - 564 John D. Tait, rehabilitation counselor, Bureau of Services to the Blind, Nevada State Welfare Department -569 Richard Ham, executive director, Nevada Employment Security Depart- ment - _ _ -- - --_ 573 Francis M. Kernan, M.D., chairman, Governor's Committee on Aging - 576 James F. Baker, Director, Federal Housing Administration -580 Mrs. Ethel Woodbury, Nevada Democratic State chairwoman; chair- woman, southern Nevada area Governor's Committee on Aging -588 Mrs. Juanita G. White, member, Governor's Committee on Aging in Nevada ----------------------------- 590 Mrs. Hazel Thompson, presiding president of the Golden Age Club for the Senior Citizens of the City of Las Vegas - 592 Reginald Vine, Las Vegas - 594 Mrs. Amelia Rapp, Las Vegas - 595 Owen Woodruff, North Las Vegas - 595 E. E. Darnell, Las Vegas -_ 597 John R. Fish, Las Vegas -598 Mrs. Clara Poulos, Las Vegas -599 Mrs. Claire Themmer, Las Vegas -600 Mrs. Rosetta Fay Sanson, North Las Vegas -601 Martin Jones, Las Vegas - 602 Ruth Reynolds, Las Vegas - 604 Mrs. Olena Hawkins, Las Vegas -604 John Webber, Las Vegas - 605 Andrew Lynch, Las Vegas -605 Witness who desired that her name be withheld -606 Arthur Thomas, Las Vegas-_ 606 Joseph Katz, Las Vegas -606 Mrs. Grace Henry, Las Vegas - 607 Jim Hillary, Searchlight, Nev -_--- --- ___-_- _ 607 Mrs. Ada Barnes, Las Vegas - 608 Mrs. Dorothy Werner, Babbitt - 608 STATEMENTS Baker, James F., Director, Federal Housing Administration -580 Barnes, Mrs. Ada, Las Vegas -_- ___-_-__-_-_- ----- ------- 608 Cheatham, Charles, Las Vegas district director, Nevada State Welfare Department-_ _ _____ _-_-_-_-_- _- __-_- 564 Coughlan, Barbara C., director, Nevada State Welfare Department -_ 613 Darnell, E. E., Las Vegas -_ _ _ _-------------- 597 Fish, John R.,-Las-Vegas-_ _ _ -------------- 598 Ham, Richard, executive director, Nevada Employment Security Depart- ment, representing Gov. Grant Sawyer ---------------- 552 Additional statement - _- ----------------- 573 Hawkins, Mrs. Olena, Las Vegas - _-_- _-------------------- 604 MI IIV' CONTENTS Page Henry, Mrs. Grace, Las Vegas -607 Hillary, Jim, Searchlight, Nev -- 607 Hurley, Dr. Daniel J., director, State health department, State of Nevada 560 Jolly, George S., commissioner of labor, State of Nevada - - 553 Jones, Martin, Las Vegas -- 602 Katz, Joseph, Las Vegas -- 606 Kernan, Francis M., M.D., chairman, Governor's Committee on Aging- 576 Lynch, Andrew, Las Vegas- 605 Poulos, Mrs. Clara, Las Vegas -- 599 Randolph, Hon. Jennings, a U.S. Senator from the State of West Virginia - 549 Rapp, Mrs. Amelia, Las Vegas - 595 Reynolds, Ruth, Las Vegas- 604 Sanson, Mrs. Rosetta Fay, North Las Vegas - -601 Schultz, William E., employment service director, State of Nevada -- 557 Tait, John D., rehabilitation counselor, Bureau of Services to the Blind, Nevada State Welfare Department - -569 Themmer, Mrs. Claire, Las Vegas - -600 Thomas, Arthur, Las Vegas -- 606 Thompson, Mrs. Hazel, presiding president of the Golden Age Club for the Senior Citizens of the City of Las Vegas - -592 Vine, Reginald, Las Vegas -- 594 Webber, John, Las Vegas - -605 Werner, Mrs. Dorothy, Babbitt, Nev--608 White, Mrs. Juanita G., member, Governor's Committee on the Aging in Nevada ---------------- ------------------- -590 Witness who desired to remain anonymous - - 606 Woodbury, Mrs. Ethel, Nevada Democratic State chairwoman, and chair- woman, southern Nevada area Governor's Committee on Aging -- 588 Woodruff, Owen, North Las Vegas - -595 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Letter to Senator Bible from Mrs. Flory Marsaudon, dated October 16, 1961 - 610 PROBLEMS OF THE AGING WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 1961 U.S. SENATE, SUBCOMMITTEE ON FEDERAL-STATE ACTIVITIES OF THE SPECIAL ComMiTTEE ON AGING, Las Vegas, Nev. The subcommittee met at 10 a.m., pursuant to notice in room 15, Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nev., Senator Alan Bibie, chairman, presiding. Present: Senators Bible of Nevada and Randolph of West Vir- gmia. Also present: Congressman Walter S. Baring of Nevada. Committee staff members present: William G. Reidy, staff direc- tor; Dorothy McCamman, professional staff member; John Guy Miller, minority staff member. Senator BIBLE. Ladies and gentlemen, the hearing will come to order. This is, as you know, the hearing of the U.S. Special Senate Com- mittee on Aging; and I am delighted to have here today Senator Jennings Randolph of the great State of West Virginia, who is very active in this field, and I am going to recognize and call on him in just a few moments. This is one of a number of field hearings that the committee, under the chairmanship of Senator McNaamara of Michigan, is hold- ing around the country to probe in some depth into the problems of older people. In our session this morning we shall focus on Fed- eral-State activities and program relationships. We shall hear from Nevada State officials and other expert witnesses in the field of aging. At 2 o'clock this afternoon our senior citizens will have an opportunity to be heard to bring us their own expert testimony about the problems that trouble them and their suggestions for working toward solutions. Between 1950 and 1960 Nevada's population aged 65 and over in- creased by nearly two-thirds, almost twice as fast as the increase nationally. Only two States exceeded our rate of growth, our sister State of Arizona and the State of Florida. And I think this is an additional indication, Senator Randolph, of the great attractions that this area and this State which now we are honored to have you visit, hold for the people of this Nation. This rapid increase in the number of older people cannot help but have an important impact on the economy of our State. It vitally affects the demands placed on our State and local programs and on their relationships to Federal programs. I am glad, therefore. to 547 548 PROBLEMS OF THE AGING have this opportunity to explore the ways in which Nevada is facing up to these needs and to assess our problems. We are often told that we should think in terms of the challenges of aging rather than the problems of aging. This is not always easy to do. We in Nevada, however, have certain advantages in transfer- ring our emphasis from problems to challenges. We have a relatively young population. While our aged population is growing at a faster rate than the average rate, our total population, including younger workers, is growing even faster. For all ages our rate of growth over the last decade was nearly five times that of the national average, and was exceeded by only one other State in the Union, and I guess that was the State of Florida. I believe the State of Arizona followed us in these growths in the overall ages. Of our people over 65 years of age, more are in the ages of between 65 and 69 and fewer in the extremely advanced ages. Most of our older people live in urban areas-that is true in the country gen- erally-making it easier to get services to them. We have a higher proportion of men among our people 65 and over than any other State in the Union except Alaska. In the country as a whole there are only 83 men for every 100 women who have passed their 65th birthday. Here in Nevada we have more aged men than women, in the ratio of 117 to 100, a ratio applauded by the population experts because of the economic implications, and not, I can assure you, because of any prejudice against the female sex. And that can be left on the record. There are the plus values as we assess the situation in Nevada.