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Show North Valley Vol. 229, No. 174 Salt Lake City, Utah Wednesday Morning September 12, 1984 Agency Helps Elderly With Employment By Keri Schreiner n - et n i ilCr AMUUUC UUtii . TV In January, Louise Callahan will finish school and pound the pavement e in search of a job with all the confidence of a young college graduate. Louise is 62 years old. Like many older Americans, the death of her spouse left Ms. Callahan alone and struggling to survive with a Social Security Check as her only means of sustenance. For her, and thousands of others, Green Thumb Inc., offered an alternative. Green Thumb Inc., is a national organization which was established in 1965 to provide part-tim- e public service employment at minimum wage for people older than 55. Its goal is to incorporate the growing number of senior citizens back into the work force by providing them with subsidized job experience. Assistant Librarian For Ms. Callahan, Green Thumb provided a part-tim- e job as an assistant librarian, as well as a referral to the Opportunities Industrialization Center for additional training in office skills. There is no reason for people to sit back, fold their arms and say theyre too old to work, she said. The training provided by Green Thumb through public agencies and it private organizations is intended as a stepping stone to private employment. The aim of Green Thumb is to get those enrolled back in the work force with a marketable skill, said area supervisor Doug Meacham, not to feed off a public trough, but to get them back into the economy. As area supervisor, Mr. Meacham assesses the ability and interests of the enrollees and finds a position suitable to them. Some training positions for the Green Thumbers" may be assisting teachers in schools, blazing nature trails in state parks, helping the disabled through home health care, working in libraries or directing travelers in tourist information booths throughout the state. Elderly Increasing The efforts to tap the reservoir of talents and experience in the senior citizen comr'al with the increase in a elderly in the United b During the period of 1971 to 1980 full-tim- low-inco- Louise Callahan, a widow, has been helped by Green Thumb, Inc., a national organization which was es tablished to provide part-tim- e public service employment at minimum wage for low income people over 55 years old. non-prof- Following Too Close Is a Good Way to Cause Accidents Here's another article on automobile safety written by Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Gary Whitney. Utah traffic law requires that a driver shall not follow another vehicle more closely than is reasonable and Back Off, commands the cartoon character Yosemite Sam as he glares at you from the mud flap on the truck just ahead. A bumper sticker rebukes, If youre close enough to read this, youre too close. The message is the same in both examples. A vehicle owner is warning drivers who follow too close and who cause accidents when sudden stops become necessary. The complaint is justified. Investigating officers reported following too close as a contributing factor in 7 percent of all 1983 Utah highway accidents. Two people died and over 900 were seriously injured as a result. When deciding what constitutes following too close, we must determine how far back is far enough. ese are still left to wonder what reasonable and prudent means. In this particular case, it means staying far enough back that you can stop without running into the car in front of you regardless of how suddenly it may stop. Safety officials have developed a formula to help the average driver determine how far back a safe following distance might be. Its called the Two Second Rule. B y CTO i fj 1 1 prudent, having due regard for the speed of such vehicles and the traffic upon and the condition of the highway. Those readers not fluent in legal- - The way it works is to pick out an identifiable point on the road ahead. When the car in front of you passes that point, start counting. U you reach the same location before counting two seconds, then youre too close. The rule allows for certain variables such as speed. The faster youre going, the farther you will travel durd interval, and the ing the distance increases accordfollowing ingly. Other variables like weather two-secon- conditions and slippery roads must be given additional consideration. It can take 10 times as long to stop on an icy road as it does on a dry one. Freeway driving conditions are sometimes conducive to tailgating. Everyone who' has ever driven on a freeway during rush hour knows that if you get more than a length and a half behind a car in front, someone will immediately fill the void. Ill admit, thats a tough situation to deal with. But if you gauge carefully, usually there is a reasonably safe distance where few drivers will cut in front. Back off as far as you can and couple it with concentrated attention to traffic conditions ahead. Where you can see for a long distance, close it up a little. If the view ahead is obscured, drop back a couple of car lengths. No doubt a few drivers will get the lead on you, but it will only cost a few seconds delay. I Quiltmaking Supplies daJyLug 112 Eut Whitlock 84115(801)485-962- 1 mil (Collage Ave. (2500 So.) S.LC Utah Tue. thru St ue. Were headed for a crisis, the Social Security program will have four to five people on it for every one worker employed, said Mr. Meacham. The life expectancy is grow- ing. At the age of 60, most people will have 25 years to live on Social Security. Our goal is to transition these people into a job they can physically handle as a second career so they have a way of supporting themselves. Under Title V Mr. Meacham sees a solution in changing attitudes about retirement Instead of thinking of retirement at age 60 or 65, people should consider the possibility of continuing their work, or if their work is too physically demanding, of seeking an alternative or a second career in a less demanding area. Green Thumb Inc., which operates under Title V of the Older Americans Act, has more than 22,000 enrollees nationwide, with 201 currently enrolled in Utah. Though the people involved with the Green Thumb program are trained, have decades of life and work experience, and are more than willing to put their time and energy into work, the Green Thumb motto of Ability is Ageless is not widely held in the private sector. ' You may be a good, qualified worker, said area leader Frank Karman, but if youre over 40 youre finished. Regional Director Yvonne Whea-do- n said she believes there is a definite stigma surrounding the hiring of older people in the American society. We offer people whove been through the mill, they have established work habits and realize they are depended on to do their job, said Ms. Wheadon. But placement is still difficult because of a reluctance to hire older people. Not Prone to Accidents There is a myth that elderly people are more accident prone, which according to statistics is false, she said. "Theyve learned through experience to take precautions. In addition to skill training, Green Thumb provides an extensive safety training program with safety guidelines for all fields of employment and general safety on and off the job. IICOUPONl IT A RAINBOW OF 100 COTTON FABRICS AND THREADS QUILTING NOTIONS CLASSES BATTING HOOPS BOOKS PATTERNS FABRIC STENCILING SUPPLIES - the population older than 65 rose 31.4 percent, from 20 million to 26.3 million, a rise that is predicted to contin- SPECIAL TO0-WEE- K I I I SEPT. 5th thru SEPT. 21st i HURU BOStfCK 21 21 East 21 00 South RC&TJIUBART 485-085- 1 EXPIRES SEPT. 29, 1964 DRAPERY FABRIC all types 9:30-5:0- 0 CORSARO WITH PADS Call for appointment. Let us bring our showroom to you for in-ho- me estimates. Families serving families for 30 years. BMX PARTS NOW ON SALE 20 :o 50 OFF 10 SPEEDS FROM 13995 SAVE 30 to 50 DOLLARS MOUNTAIN BIKES UP TO $175 OFF CARPETS and DRAPERY 3100 South U.S. Hiway 89 Bountiful SINCE 1905 UTHRIS BICYCLE 295-552- 1 E Canyon Center 2069 9400 So. 942-111- 9 E 2nd So. 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