Page 4 RAJ N February-March 1980 ELDERLY& One of the basic goals in the appropriate technology movement is a more democratically energized society. Energy for all, we proclaim, regardless of ability to pay , but we have a long way to go before we attain that goal. Among those hit hardest by this year's energy crisis will be the elderly, as most of them are on fixed incomes and cannot keep up. Pathetic tales have been told of elderly persons who have their electricity or gas turned off by a utility due to inability to pay for the ever-increasing fuel bill. Fourteen percent of an elderly person's total cost of living goes towards energy payments, and for the elderly poor it is 30% (as compared to the average American family, which spends about 4%). This economic impact affects the elderly person's total standard of living. The increasing price of energy (which cannot be offset by a salary increase since most elderly citizens have retired) forces them to cut back on the necessities (not luxuries) of life. Problems such as eviction, foreclosure, inability to pay for mortgages and the great danger of utility shutoff faces the elderly renter or homeowner. Although there is much truth in the saying "a cooler room is better for the circulatory system," the elderly do not find this exhilaration in the briskness of their bedroom or parlor. More common among the elderly is hypothermia-a condition in which the person's body temperature drops to a subnormal level (often without the person's awareness). Hypothermia and other medical complications resulting from a thermostat set below a comfortable level, endangers the health and survival of many elderly citizens. This winter, as in past winters, people will die because of this problem. ENERGI1 Elderly persons also face a dramatic change in their social/recreational realm as energy prices escalate. Seniors eat less as weekly grocery trips are cut back-a result of prohibitively expensive gasoline and insufficient mass transit. Recreational and social activities at community points are painfully overlooked also, due to that inflated gallon, leading to the isolation of the elderly in their not so wann and cozy dwelling places . So what is being done to help alleviate this condition? Some energy related programs at the local, state and federal levels do exist for the elderly of our nation in the form of tax credits, exemptions, rebates and food stamps. Unfortunately, the forms to apply for these assistance programs are usually so bureaucratically complicated that many people are unable to comprehend them and therefore refrain from applying. Clearly, not enough is being done and not enough attention being given to the seniors of our country in this crunch . Why is it that modern medicine searches feverishly for the "Methuselah enzyme" when the oldest of our society are disc~rde~ andtreated with such disrespect? Once again, the energy situation gIVes us the opportunity to examine our values concerning the importance and dignity of all life. -Debra Whitelaw
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