Who Is the Older American?

The Older American has nearly 18 million individual faces. And, on each, the 20th century has drawn the lines of its progress and its troubles, its achievements and its failures; lines of worry over two world wars, a massive depression, a cold war; lines from work on brilliant medical and scientific successes, bountiful agricultural production, and amazing technical progress.

The faces are those of:

Three ex-Presidents.

Nearly 10 percent of the entire United States population.
Nearly 12 million people living on farms.

More than one out of four United States Senators.
Almost 2 million people working full time.

Two of the nine United States Supreme Court justices.
More than 10,000 people over 100 years old.

Over 121⁄2 million people getting social security benefits.
Over 2.3 million war veterans.

More than 3 million people who migrated from Europe to
the United States.

These are some of the faces of the Older American. Behind them are the brains, the strengths, and the weaknesses of the men and women who have had a major part in bringing America into the jet and missile age.

There can be no composite picture drawn of the Older American, but we know these facts about him:

He may be between 65 and 70 but he is probably older. He may have an adequate income but probably not. He may be working but it is unlikely. He may have a high school education but probably doesn't.

He may be in good health but probably isn't. He may not receive social security but probably does. He would like to have more to do but the opportunities do not exist. He may collect a private pension but probably doesn't.

He may have adequate health insurance but probably doesn't. He may live alone but probably not.

How do we know these things about the Older American?

Probably no other group in America has been more thoroughly studied in the past 15 years than the aging. His health. His housing. His employment. His happiness. His habits. Nearly everything about him. And more research is constantly being started, and still more will follow.

This study has not been prompted by idle curiosity. It grew mainly out of a recognition, shortly after World War II, that this country was developing a sizable population of older people, that they had unique problems and interests, and that very little was really known about them as a group.

... 18 million faces

Listen to the Older American, and he will tell

you who he is. In 18 million ways he will tell you, for each Older American has a distinctly personal story to tell.

Their stories are also the story of our Nation's history, for that is no more and no less than the history of our people as they went about their business.

The faces of older Americans represent democracy and freedom ripened into the golden fruit of wisdom and knowledge. The lines in their faces were formed by frowns and smiles, triumph and defeat, by progress as well as problems. This is the Older American.

And it was recognized by economists, social scientists, physicians, Government officials, and others that America was going to have a serious crisis on its hands if this growing group did not receive special attention.

Their number, for example, had increased in the first half of the 20th century from approximately 3 million, representing 4 percent of the population, to 12.3 million, representing more than 8 percent of the population. Thus, their number was not only zooming up, but so was their proportion to the rest of the population.

Source: 1900 through 1960, census of population; 1980, U.S. Bureau of the Census, "Current Population Reports; Estimates," Series P-25, No. 251. For population 2000, Division of the Actuary, Social Security Administration.

Chart 1

As a result, Government agencies, universities and colleges, community and national organizations, employers, and private foundations began to probe and study. Considering the short time they have been at it, the results have been monumental. Rarely, if ever, have so many spotlights been trained so steadily on a social development. Study of the characteristics of our older people began to uncover the dimensions of some of their interests, problems, needs-and potential opportunities.

The first thing that stood out was the woefully inadequate income most aged people had to live on. Fortunately, a big step had been taken in 1935 when the social security system was established to dealat least, in a small way-with the loss of income in retirement.

When President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act on August 14, 1935, he described it as "The cornerstone in a structure which is being built, but is by no means complete. . . ."

Since 1940 when the first payments were made under social security, the system has been improved and expanded seven times-all since 1949. In 1950, very substantial changes were made to improve and extend the system.

The social security system has become, as was its purpose, a founda

tion of financial security on which the individual older person could build greater security through his own devices.

At the same time the social security program was evolving, private employers and unions were working together to develop private pension plans for workers when they retired. In 1935, only about 1,100 employers had pension plans and only about 2.2 million employees were covered. Today, there are more than 25,000 plans covering 23 million workers.

However, despite the relatively early discovery of the need for the establishment of public and private systems of providing income in retirement, adequate income among the aged is still the exception rather than the rule.

In fact, for all the interest and activity which has surrounded the Older American in the past 15 years, this one conclusion stands out: He has gained longer life-as a result of scientific, economic, and social advances in this century-but is left without the financial means to solve satisfactorily many economic, social, and medical problems.