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Show Welfare Director Characterizes Local Senior Grand Recipients Characteristics of Utah Senior Se-nior Citizens who are recipients recip-ients of benefits from the Old Age Assistance (OAA) program pro-gram were reported this week by Wendy Nelson, director of the Grand county division of Welfare office. Mrs. Nelson believes that the aged population in Utah has demonstrated exceptional self-sufficiency and self-care when compared with the rest of the nation. For - example, of approximately 75,000 persons per-sons in Utah who are over 65, only 4,800 persons, or 6.4 per cent, receive public assistance during any given month. This compares with a rate of 14 per cent nationally. Director Nelson reports that 90 per cent of OAA recipients in the state are over 70 years of age, with 41 per cent over 80 years. Most, or 95 per cent of these persons did not finish fin-ish high school, and 33 per cent never had a paying job. Only5 per cent were farm owners, renters, or operators. The average monthly grant to a recipient of the Old Age Assistance program in Utah is $55.00. Many receive Social Security or other retirement benefits in addition to their OAA grants. "Actually, there are probably prob-ably several thousand more senior citizens in the state who would be eligible for OAA benefits," reports Mrs. Nelson, Nel-son, "but they prefer not to initiate an application." She cited several reasons for this. One reason is that under the state velfare law an OAA recipient re-cipient who owns a home or any other real property is required re-quired to execute a lien in favor fa-vor of the Division of Welfare. During his lifetime the OAA recipient retains possession and use of the property. A surviving spouse would also retain ownership and use of the home for her lifetime. After Af-ter death, the recipient's estate est-ate reimburses the state-for the amount of assistance granted up to the value of the Tpnl nrnnprtv A recipient's estate normally normal-ly has claim to the first $1,000 of the value in the property. If the property's value is less than $1,000 the lien may be discharged without a money payment. There are some exceptions ex-ceptions to this. Home owners account for 43 per cent of the OAA case load in Utah. No repayment of Old Age Assistance is required when no real property is owned own-ed by the recipient. Another reason for not making mak-ing application may have to do with feelings of personal embarassment over the necessity neces-sity to ask for help. "Although we respect such feelings," said Mrs. Nelson, "we cannot accept that a person per-son should live below an economic ec-onomic level where he cannot maintain a sense of human dignity, and live in safety and in healthy surroundings." Mrs. Nelson stated that needy Senior Citizens have a legal right to benefits from the OAA program when their living resources are inadequate. inade-quate. She views the aged as having done much throughout their lifetimes to pioneer and build up local communities, and as having a strong moral right to public assistance if necessary. "They have worked hard to create many of the good things we all take for granted today. They have paid taxes for many years, and have contributed contri-buted much to the development develop-ment of their country," Mrs. Nelson stated. Older persons on the OAA program face great problems of loneliness, and find fever opportunities each year for activity and participation in the community. Over 75 per cent of them have chronic health problems, and 77 per cent of them live alone in a single housing unit. Upkeep of the home and grounds is a problem. Mrs. Nelson, and other social so-cial welfare leaders in Utah maintain that much needs to be done to provide new opportunities oppor-tunities and services for the aged. "Up until recently very little lit-tle has been done at the community com-munity level to assess the common and special needs of our aged citizens, and attempt to meet them," said Mrs. Nelson. Nel-son. "As our senior citizens have demonstrated faith in the future of their communities in Utah, we must reward that, faith with an increased awareness aware-ness and attention to their needs." |