According to the 1970 census there are 366,021 Virginians aged 65 and over, with 64,519 of this number black and 187,690 female. In addition, there are 172,000 persons between the ages of 60-65. Projections are that by the year 2,000 the over-65 population will be more than one million and the over-60 population will be between one-and-a-half and two million. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, 37.1 % of all Virginians 65 years and over are poor or near poor (as defined in HEW Publication #73-20008) although only 15.5% of the total population is poor. Pressed by such demographics and the problems they suggest, the 1973 General Assembly established the Commission to Study the Needs of Elderly Virginians through the passage of House Joint Resolution #175.

This report responds to the resolution which requires that the Commission shall conclude its study and file an interim report and recommend legislative action not later than December 1, 1973, and a final report by November 1, 1974. The purpose of the report is to make recommendations for strengthening services to elderly Virginians, to survey briefly existing programs and services for this group and to outline the direction of the Commission's work for 1974.

The Commission recommends that:

A. 1. The Office on Aging be transferred from the Division of State Planning and Community Affairs to the Secretary of Human Affairs and be directed to coordinate programs for the aging with all other pertinent agencies and groups.

2. The Legislature appropriate $636,000 in the 1974-76 biennium for the Office on Aging to use as matching funds for federal grants in support of programs for the elderly under the Older Americans Act of 1965 as amended.

B. 1. All departments and agencies of State government be directed to develop a compatible statewide information, referral and tracking (follow-up) system on all available human resources and services for the elderly.

The Commission supports the concept of a multi-disciplinary Center on Aging offering:

1. Graduate and undergraduate courses and a Masters Degree dealing with all aspects of physical, psychological and social aging for students who desire to enter the field of gerontology as planners, administrators, teachers and providers of direct services to the elderly.

2. A data collection, storage and retrieval component on the aged in Virginia.

3. A research emphasis designed for both investigative study and dissemination of information.

The Commission also supports the concept that at least one institution in each of the consortia districts in the State offer courses in gerontology, and that there be developed continuing education and in-service training for persons working in the field of aging. (The Higher Education consortia districts have been defined by the State Council on Higher Education.) This Council should take an active role in establishing and implementing standards and goals for gerontology education in Virginia.