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Show - 4 The Woods Cross High Chatelles finished the 1980-81 school as they welcomed 47 girls as members of next year's drill team. The Chatelles attended three competitions this year. At USU they brought home a superior . . mmf trophy. Advisor is Edy Parks. Members include: front 1 to r, Kris Neilson, Sheri Hislop, Charla Newman, f!H ATELLES Lorie Walton' Annc Moss' Caro,yn A"8US- 2nd row' Chris Carro1, Lorenne Liner, Laura Moosman, Becky Wl wr 1 Ballard, Patrice Twitchell, Brenda Barenson, Cathie Jones, Leigh Smallwood, Debra Lloyd. Back, Lort Matern, Ann Troth. Saraoirs Air Gor.em By TOM BUSSELBERG Hundreds of senior citizens across the state have helped form conclusions about everything every-thing from social security to legal services for presentation at the upcoming White House Conference on Aging. SIX AREAS were studied including in-cluding economic security, physical and mental health, social so-cial well being, "Older Americans Amer-icans as a Growing National Resource", "Age Integrated Society within Societal Institutions" Insti-tutions" and research. In the economic security section, the issue was raised, "Social Security is in need of revisions and clarification both in policy and funding." AMONG recommendations: Early retirement should be discouraged and work opportunities promoted thereby there-by increasing the worker-retiree worker-retiree ratio. SOCIAL Security should be kept actuarially and financially finan-cially sound by cost-saving options op-tions and increased revenues. Cost of living increases tied to the consumer price index in-dex should be continued. PEOPLE covered by Social So-cial Security for most of their lives should be assured of benefits be-nefits sufficient to keep thern out of poverty. Social Security benefits shouldn't be taxed. A PERSON retiring at 65 shouldn't be penalized for working. Deducting benefits because of work income should be discontinued. Along similar lines, the problem of retirement, pension pen-sion and health plans running into problems because of "inflation, "in-flation, management incompetence incompe-tence and the ratio of paying participants to insured recipients" reci-pients" was also addressed with it recommended that efforts be made to retain workers work-ers longer in the work force, cost of living increases should be built in, widow and survivor benefits should reflect "cultural "cultu-ral realty" and retirement and pension plans should be "poli-cied "poli-cied and assured". ON THE issue of employment, employ-ment, it was recommended that services be expanded "to meet the current economic and social needs of the older person" per-son" with re-employment and extended participation advocated. advo-cated. The report also recommends recom-mends continuation and expansion ex-pansion of food stamps, energy ener-gy assistance. Social Security insurance and low-imcome housing. IN THE area of physical and mental health, an increase in the amount of foods for the nutrition program was urged along with expansion of the homebound meals program. Looking at health care, incentives in-centives should be developed to encourage more job entry into direct patient care fields such as nursing, home health aids and nursing aids. More medical facilities and health professionals need to be developed de-veloped in rural areas, it was also agreed. HEALTH personnel should also -have "a considerable amount of geriatrics training as a requirement for accreditation," accredita-tion," the study noted, adding that Medicare should pay for prescription drugs and Medicare Medi-care and Medicaid expanded to provide supports for family care of the elderly. It also urged a doubling of monthly personal allowances for Medi- caid nursing home clients from $25 to $50. Participants asked for more nursing home care in rural areas and asked that additional funds be allocated to care for more elderly in their own homes. ADDRESSING housing the study said, "The need for many types of options for housing and the elderly is far greater than the supply. This need will likely increase significantly signi-ficantly as housing costs, taxes, utility costs, interest rates and home repair costs increase." in-crease." The six recommendations urged more government and private funding for housing units un-its while "laws should be established which would protect pro-tect the elderly from displacement displace-ment due to conversion of rental ren-tal units to condominiums". AN AD HOC housing commission com-mission to identify and act on housing alternatives, gaps and related services should be formed along with a clearinghouse clearing-house for subsidized housing applications. Shared housing development develop-ment should be explored including in-cluding use of rent subsidies, tax incentives and easing of restrictive local zoning ordinances, ordi-nances, the seniors said, I asking also that more funds be allocated for repair. FIVE transportation-related recommendations were made, including "strong efforts to decrease de-crease wasteful private car usage us-age and increase the quality and quantity of reliable public ' transportation" along with continued support and funding for reduced fare programs and barrier free transit. A central agency should consolidate transportation ser-vices ser-vices while encouraging volunteer use in providing transportation by providing "adequate support for fuel costs, vehicle maintenance and insurance." FUNDS SHOULD also be provided to test alternative means for low-cost transport, especially in rural areas, it was noted. In the "Older Americans as a National Resoruce" section tax and pension-saving incentives incen-tives emphasis was urged while retraining of older workers work-ers should be promoted as an employer and employee asset. VOLUNTEERS should be compensated for their time, effort and out-of-pocket expenses ex-penses by tax write-offs and expense payments, it was urged, with public and private groups urged to periodically examine potential for volunteer volun-teer use. Older persons' experience and abilities should be used in teaching and training others with educational institutions urged to "actively recruit and integrate" older persons as students and instructors. THE stereotypes and attitudes atti-tudes towards older persons should be fought by media treatment of the elderly as individuals indi-viduals and by fighting the prejudice pre-judice of ageism "as actively as other prejudices in our society." Looking at family support for the elderly it was recommended recom-mended that ways should be found to reimburse families for costs expended in care and support of elderly members, ways should be found to strengthen family networks and "caring people" networks should be created where family fami-ly aren't available. GOVERNMENT programs should target the functionally dependent and frail elderly, work to ensure equal access to all services and examine changes in programs to serve a " better-educated, healthier and wealthier aging population! Pension and insurance plans should include cost of living adjustments on an annual basis, at the least, while local property taxes should have a rebate formula "for adjusting the tax payments on a dollar per year basis according to the age of the oldest person living on the property." MEDICAL AND pharmaceutical phar-maceutical costs should be fixed at "reasonable rates" and equal pay for equal work regardless of age, sex or minority status should be encouraged en-couraged and demanded, the study said. Some 230 gave input at meetings discussing the report in Salt Lake County and about 250 attended similar sessions in Davis County. |