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Impact of the Title III Meals Program as perceived by the participants of SCAMP

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Impact of the Title III Meals Program as perceived by the participants of SCAMP

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Content IMPACT OF THE TITLE III MEALS PROGRAM
AS PERCEIVED BY THE PARTICIPANTS OF SCAMP
by
Roberta A. O’Neill
A Thesis Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE LEONARD DAVIS SCHOOL OF GERONTOLOGY
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
MASTER OF SCIENCE IN GERONTOLOGY
August 1983
UMI Number: EP58904
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789 East Eisenhower Parkway
P.O. Box 1346
Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
LEONARD DAVIS SCHOOL OF GERONTOLOGY
UNIVERSITY DARK
LOS ANGELES:, CALIFORNIA 90007
' 03,
cm
£ :
This thesisj i^vitten by
Roberta A. O'Neill
under the dii^eator of h er Thesis Committee^
and approved by alt its members^ has been pre
sented to and aooepted by the Dean of the
Leonard Davis Sohool of Gerontology and the
Dean of the School of Fuhlio Administration
or Urban Planning (underline one)^ in partial
fulfillment of the requirem.ents for the degree of
OF SCIENCE IN GERONTOLOGY MAST
Dean
Date
Dean
THESIS committee
J a
hairman
FOREWORD
"It is hard for us seniors to put into words just how
we feel about our program. It has enriched our lives to
the extent that we now have a zest for living. SCAMP has
been a tremendous tool to get us together around a table.
Besides the good we get from the nutritious meals, we also
have a grand time socially." Dorothy, 80 years old.
11
FOREWORD
TABLE OF contents
ii
LIST OF TABLES . . . . . . . . . t.. V
Chapters Page
I. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM............... 1
Background ............... ........ 1
Purpose of the Study......... 3
The Study ........................... 4
Definitions ......................... 5
Limitations of the Study ........... 6
II. RELEVANT LITERATURE ................... 7
Demography of the Older American . . . 7
Need, Philosophy and History of
the Nutrition Program ........... 8
Four Aspects of the Gardena
Meals Program ................... . 13
Evaluation Studies of Title III
Nutrition. Programs ............. . 20
III;. DESIGN OF THE STUDY ................... . 23
Introduction ....................... . 23
Research Goals ..................... . 23
Stat erne n t ! . of the. .Wo rking Hyp o the ses ... . 24
Sample and Population ............... . 25
Research Design and Procedures .... . 26
IV. REPORTING THE DATA ..................... 28
Introduction ....................... . 28
Description of Respondents ...... . 28
Patterns of Attendance ............. . 30
Testing the Hypotheses ............. . 32
Reasons for Attendance ............. . 36
Perception of ProgramValue .......... . 37
Participants' Comments 38
iii
Chapter P^ge
V. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS, . , , , , , 43
Introduction . . , . . . ; . , . / / . 43
Limitations , . , . .... , . ; , . , , 43
Implications for Future Research , , . , 47
Conclusions . . . . . . .... . . . . , 49.
bibliograrhy .... . . . , . . . . . . , . . ; . , 54
APPENDIX ....... . . . . . . . . . , ; . . . 60
A. Comments from the Participants . . . . . . . 61
B. Data Collecting Instrument . , . . , , , . , 66
IV
LIST OF TABLES
Table
1. Description of %espondents . . . . . , . . . 30
2. patterns of Attendance . / , . / . . . . . . 31
3i. Gardena Title III Participants’
Perceptions of the Program Impact .... 34
4. Reasons for Attendance . . . , . . . . . . . 37
5. Participants’ Perceptions of the
Program Value / . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
6t9. Data from Posner’s Boston Title VII
Program Compared with SCAMP . . . . ... 44
V
CHAPTER I
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Background
The initial impetus for the nutritious meals program
was President Johnson's "Great Society." He said the
basic goal of an enlightened society was to provide
opportunities which enabled people to keep and strengthen
their independence and dignity. For too many Americans,
the later years meant loneliness.
Title VII, under the Older American Act of 1965, was
conceived at the White House Conference of 1971 as a
nutritious meals program for older adults. Title VII was
incorporated under Title III in 1978, and at the present
time NPOA (Nutrition Program for Older Americans) serves
115,000,000 meals annually at a cost of $350,000,000 to
the federal government (Posner, 1979). In addition, the
local agencies contribute vast "in kind" resources. This
"in kind" has represented to the Gardena nutrition site,
where this study takes place, a beautiful and spacious
community center with an auditorium, a lobby, classrooms,
and kitchen available to the program. The city also
supplies clerical workers and office space, and the
Gardena Community Adult School provides teachers for
adult education classes.
1
Gardena is a blue-collar community in the greater Los
Angeles area. Of the population of 44,460, 22.6 percent
are black, 27 percent oriental, and 17 percent are
Hispanic. The senior population represents 14 percent of
the total. Significant to the city is legalized gambling
at the "card clubs." These clubs pay high city taxes and
the city government of Gardena is prosperous. A large
and beautiful complex of office buildings has been
constructed which includes the Nakaoka Community Center.
This center houses the Senior Bureau and is the site of
the nutrition program called SCAMP, an acronym for Senior
Community Action Meals Program. SCAMP was established in
December, 1976, and at the present time there are approx
imately 500 registrants in the program, with a daily
attendance of 100 to 150.
Gardena Community Adult School, a part of the Los
Angeles Unified School District, has sponsored classes at
the nutrition site since the onset of the program. At the
present time there are thirteen adult education classes
each week at SCAMP. They are listed as Art Appreciation,
Aerobics, Chorus, Drama, Crafts, Creative Living,
Stitchery, Recorder, Guitar, Spanish, Yoga, Serendipity
for Seniors, and Table Talk.
The project director has the responsibility of
managing the program. The site director supervises the
volunteers and the meals, and coordinates activities.
These activities include bazaar craft class (where crafts
are made and sold), Scampo (a form of bingo), the Coupon
Ladies (who cut and file coupons for ways and means money),
and bus excursions. The Scampers have over $2,000 in
their savings which they use for special parties, bus
trips, band instruments, etc.
Purpose of Study
Norman (1982) reported that $350,000,000 were
appropriated by the federal government to NPOA in FY1981.
When state and local funds are added, the annual cost of
implementation of the NPOA could reach $500,000,000
annually (Posner, 1982). These figures tell us there are
millions of dollars spent, millions of older Americans
served, and many agencies involved.
The Gardena meals program, SCAMP, has been in opera
tion for six and one-half years and is considered by the
participants, the adult school, the Area Agency on Aging,
the staff at the site, and the City of Gardena as "very
successful." However, there is currently little data to
suggest this conclusion. This study will review demo
graphic and attendance patterns of the participants and
will determine the perceived social, financial, and
nutritional impact the SCAMP program has on the lives of
those who attend regularly. In view of the general
cut-backs expected in government funding (city, state and
federal), it is important to know whether the program has
been well received and whether it has a beneficial impact
on the lives of older citizens. This study will show the
extent to which the participants of SCAMP perceive the
nutrition program to have positive impact on their lives,
and any change to be disruptive or worse.
The Study
Research Goal I
This goal examines demographic and attendance
patterns of the SCAMP participants. These descriptive data
could be useful for many reasons. For example, one of the
goals of the NPOA is to insure balanced diets for the
elderly by supplying nutritious meals (Norman, 1982); if
the study shows irregular or infrequent attendance, the
goals would be unmet. Similarly, the staff would be
interested in knowing which days of the week are most
popular with regular participants.
Research Goal II
As stated earlier, SCAMP is perceived by many of the
agencies and participants involved as "very successful."
This reseach goal will measure whether or not the Scampers
perceive the program as having impact on their lives. The
SCAMP program includes a prepared nutritious meal, friends.
financial savings, and activities outside the home. This
study will attempt to determine if Scampers do or do not
perceive the program elements (meals, friends, activities,
savings) as impacting their lives.
Research Goal III
For this study, the SCAMP program has Been divided
into four categories : Friends, Activities, Meals,
Economics. Each category is an integral part of the whole
Posner (1979) has shown that socialization is a greater
determinant of attendance than any one of the others. Two
questions could be answered from this research: What do
Scampers perceive as the most important aspect of SCAMP?
What is.the Scamper's chief reason for attendance?
Research Goal IV
These participants are taxpayers and senior citizens.
Most of them:; appear as frugal, patriotic survivors,
experienced at stretching a dollar, and ever wary of
government involvement. What are the participants'
perceptions of the value of this federally funded Nutrition
Program for Older Americans? Do they perceive this govern
ment spending for the SCAMP program as worthwhile?
Definitions
SCAMP - S^enior Community Action Meals Program
Scamper - a SCAMP participant
Scamp participant - a Scamper who attends the SCAMP
program at least twice a week, and is at least sixty years
old or the spouse of a sixty year old.
Limitations of the Study
The scope of the study has been limited by the writer
to the SCAMP nutrition program at Gardena, California.
Therefore, care should be used in extrapolating the
results of this study to other nutrition sites. Secondly,
the study has been delimited to those Scampers who attend
at least twice a week on a regular basis. Hence, the
results of this study may not be descriptive of Scampers
who attend at irregular intervals.
CHAPTER II
RELEVANT LITERATURE
This chapter deals with literature review in certain
areas of the Title III Meals Program, namely the demog
raphy of the older American; the need, purpose, philosophy
and history of the program; four aspects of the Gardena
meals program; and evaluation studies.
Demography of the Older American
One of every nine persons or 25 million Americans are
sixty-five or over. In 1900, the elderly numbered three
million or one of every twenty-five persons. By 2000,
that number will swell to 32 million or one in eight
persons (Weg, 1982).
The seventy-five and over age bracket has grown more
rapidly since 1900 than has the sixty-five to seventy-four
bracket. In 1900, the upper age group represented 29 per
cent of the sixty-five and over population. In 1975, that
same group represented 37 percent of the sixty-five plus
population (Harris, 1978). The eldest group (eighty-five
plus) has more than doubled between 1960 and 1980 and is
expected to double again by 2000 (Weg, 1982).
The older population is increasingly female dominant.
In 1900, males outnumbered females by a ratio of 102 to
7
100. The current ratio is 68 males to 100 females sixty-
five and over. At seventy-five, the ratio decreases to
50 for every 100 females. Most older women are widows,
while most older men are married. Only 38 percent of
older women are married, while 75 percent of older man are
married (Weg, 1982).
Most older persons continue to live in a family
setting. Four of five men and three of five women live
with their spouses or someone else. Only one in twenty
older persons is institutionalized (Harris, 1978).
Need, Philosbphy and History
of the Nutrition Program
Among this I large sector of our population, adequate
nutrition is frequently a major concern. The White House
Conference on Aging in 1965 recognized this and set forth
long term goals : (1) adequate nutritional education
should be available to all older people, and (2) nutrition
education should be available to all (students, doctors,
elderly). Following this Conference, Congress and the
Administration passed legislation appropriating federal
funds for a nutrition program for the elderly. The
National Nutrition Program for the Elderly, administered
by the Administration on Aging, was designed to provide
inexpensive, nutritionally sound meals to older Americans,
particularly those with low income. The program was
8
authorized under Title VII of the Older Americans Act of
1965 (AGA Fact Sheet, 1974).
The target population was the older American, partic
ularly those with low income. Anyone sixty years old or
his spouse of any age was to be included. The rationale
for having the meals program was that is it known that many
elderly do not eat properly because (1) they lack the
knowledge and/or skills to select and prepare nourishing
and well-balanced meals ; (2) they cannot afford to;
(3) they have limited mobility which may impair their
capacity to shop and cook for themselves ; and (4) they have
feelings of rejection and loneliness which obliterate the
incentive necessary to prepare and eat a meal alone
(Federal Register, 1971). The result is a pattern of
living which causes malnutrition and further physical and
mental deterioration.
The meals programs were to be held in strategically
located centers, such as schools, churches, community
centers, senior centers, and other public and private
facilities where participants could obtain social and
rehabilitative services. Besides promoting better health
through good nutrition (the meals were to be one-third of
the minimum daily requirement), the program was to reduce
isolation of old age and offer the older American an
opportunity to live his/her remaining years in dignity.
To reach the goals of better nutrition and mental
health for the elderly, the nutrition programs were to
provide one nutritious meal a day for five days. A fee or
"donation" was to be set by the particular project council.
No one could be turned away because of insufficient funds.
Sites for the meals must be in strategically accessible
places where a population survey would show there were
elderly in need of the services. State and agency recip
ients of the grant must provide for transportation,
referral, outreach, health and welfare services, counsel
ing, nutrition education, and recreational activities
incidental to the project (Federal Register, 1971).
The Hierarchy of Funding: U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services, U.S. Administration on Aging
(AoA), State Department of Aging, County Department of
Aging, Area Agency on Aging (AAA), Nutrition Project.
Nutrition program funds come from the State Department
of Aging. The federal government provides up to 90 percent
of the cost of the nutrition progect. The other 10 percent
or remaining percentage is supplied by the local grantee.
Nutrition services evolved from nutrition demonstra
tion projects first funded under the Older Americans Act of
1965, to develop techniques for improving diets, fostering
social interaction, and facilitating the delivery of social
services for the elderly (U.S. Congress, 1979).
10
The section on nutrition of the 1971 White House
Conference on Aging recommended establishing the
"equivalent of a National School Lunch Program for Senior
Citizens." On March 20, 1972 this recommendation was
implemented by Public Law 92-258 which added a new r
Title VII to the Act authoring a Nutrition Program for the
Elderly to provide hot meals and nutrition services to
Americans sixty and over (Norman, 1982). The federal
goals for the Nutrition Program for the Elderly were
stated :
a) To provide persons aged sixty and older and
their spouses regardless of age, particularly
those with low income and minority individuals
with low cost, nutritionally sound meals in
strategically located centers where they can
obtain other social and rehabilitative services.
b) To promote better health among the older seg
ment of the population through improved
nutrition.
c) To reduce the isolation of old age.
c) To offer older Americans an opportunity to live
out their remaining years in dignity (PL 92258,
92nd Congress).
Early in 1978 the then Commissioner Arthur Fleming
was succeeded by the fourth Commissioner on Aging, Robert
11
Benedict of Pennsylvania. The new Commissioner on Aging
immediately began working with Congress on legislation to
extend the Act's authorization which was scheduled to
expire on September 30, 1978 and to amend the Act in other
ways. Flhen signed into law by President Carter on
October 18, 1978, the amendment not only extended the Act's
authorization but made substantial changes in the Act.
The Amendments consolidated Title III social services with
the Title VII nutrition program, with a separate author
ization for each under the new Title III which included
social services, congregate nutrition, and home delivered
nutrition programs (Norman, 1982).
The growth of the nutrition program is evidenced by
the following Older Americans Act appropriations for the
Nutrition Program:
1973 $ 99,000,000 allocated
1981 $351,000,000 allocated (Norman, 1982)
Title VII-III, since its implementation in 1973, is
the major operating program within the Administration on
Aging. Funded five to ten times the level of most AoA
programs, it accounts for one-half the AoA's total
expenditures (Posner, 1979) .
Kusseke (U.S. Congress, 1978) noted that food is more
than a portion of chemicals, that there are social and
psychological aspects of eating that have profound effects
12
on the quality of life. She noted further that the
nutrition program should not be an adjunct to welfare, but
a national preventative health care policy. The nutrition
program is not a crisis prevention program, and it is not
written as a secondary food program designed to benefit a
special interest group.
These and other psychological, physiological, social
and economic changes that occur with aging result in a
pattern of living which causes malnutrition and further
physical and mental deterioration (U.S. Congress, 1979).
Four Aspects of the
Gardena Meals Program
There are four aspects of the Gardena meals program,
SCAMP, that this study will address: Friends, Activities,
Meals, Economics.
Friends
Old age can be a four lettered word--loss. After
sixty, friends are lost through death, retirement, or
relocation. The death of a spouse results in the loss of
friends that were part of being a couple. The majority of
Scampers are widows. These data will answer the question,
if, at this stage of their lives, the SCAMP participants
perceive the program to be the chief source of friends.
Adams (1967) found that for older people, the rate of
interaction among relatives was higher than that among
13
friends, but that older people perceived the interaction
between friends to be the more meaningful. People at any
age appear to value time spent with friends above that
spent with relatives because of the voluntary, non-
judgmental aspect of friendship (Williams, Evans, Powell,
1980).
Activities
The activity theory of aging (Havighurst, 1969)
assumes that social involvement is the way people success
fully adapt to aging. The idea stresses the importance of
interaction to an individual's self-concept and sense of
well-being. The disengagement theory, conversely, is
described as an inevitable mutual withdrawal resulting in
decreased interaction between the aging person and others
in the social system to which he belongs (Gumming and
Henry, 1961). In the nutrition program studied by
Posner (1979), it was found that participants with the
highest attendance rate had the highest activity involve
ment. One study (Hanssen, Meima, Buckspan, Henderson,
Helbig and Zarit, 1978) identified the likeliest users of
senior center activities as those functioning well in
several areas, including health, affective status, and
social supports, as well as those with a prior history of
participation. The motivation for attendance appears to
be need. No matter what their age, many people require
14
some kind of outside activity to maintain physical and
mental well being. Others, who never were joiners, find
it difficult to start when old.
Meals-Nutrition
Weg (1978) found that environmental factors effect
nutrition/malnutrition in older persons. For example,
limited food budgets tend toward carbohydrate consumption.
These refined carbohydrates, primarily sugars, are poor
substitutes for proteins, fresh fruits and vegetables. In
addition, well-balanced meals are rarely prepared on a
regular basis for one person. Many elderly who live alone
miss the socialization of eating and have little motivation
to prepare balanced meals.
Other information surfaced in a study in Tennessee
(Todhunter, 1973), five hundred sixty-nine persons from
sixty to over eighty of divergent backgrounds were studied-
black , white, urban, rural, varied socio-economic groups.
He found that loneliness did not seem to be a major problem
to those who had no activity outside the home. When sub
groups were compared, those who lived alone and those who
lived with others did not differ in dietary adequacy.
Posner (1979), however, found certain environmental
factors do effect the nutritional status of the elderly.
For example, socio-economic factors (income, ethnic
patterns) lack of preparation facilities, distance to
15
shopping, and living situation may be barriers to adequate
nutrition.
Kohrs (1976) observed nutrition programs and found
that as participation increased, mean intake of nutrients
increased, and that nutritional status relative to many
nutritients improved. This is important to remember since
a balanced diet may depend on regular attendance at the
meals program.
A major factor in enabling the elderly to continue
indeperident living is their ability to obtain or prepare
meals adequate to.maintain good physical and mental
health. The importance of good nutrition to the
maintenance of the biological systems of older people
cannot be over-stressed. Unfortunately, malnutrition is
rampant among this group. It is often difficult to tell
exactly what part of an individual’s biological decline
with age is inevitable and what part is due to poor
nutrition (Atchley, 1982).
As stated earlier, the VJhite House Conference on
Aging, November 28 to December 2, 1971, listed these
barriers to adequate nutrition among the elderly :
- they cannot afford to do so.
- they lack the skills to select and prepare
nourishing and well-balanced meals.
- they have limited mobility which may impair
their capacity to shop and cook for themselves.
16
- they have feelings of rejection and loneliness
which obliterate the incentive necessary to
prepare and eat a meal alone.
This same conference called for an equivalent of the
national school lunch program to be developed for all older
people, not just those with low income (Atchley, 1982).
Economics
The elderly can generally be described as a low-
income group. Many persons reaching retirement age have
always had a low level of income, and old age merely
compounds the problems of a lifetime of poverty or near
poverty. Many others join the ranks of the low income and
the poor only on their own spouses’ retirement from employ
ment (Harris, 1981).
Since 1950, the elderly have consistently had income
levels approximately half that of the younger population.
Elderly Americans, however, are no more likely than
younger Americans to feel financially strapped. This may
reflect, in part, the fact that more than 3 in 5 individ
uals sixty-five and over (from 64 percent to 68 percent,
depending on age) have bought and paid for their own
house and therefore have relatively low monthly housing
expense. Only 12 percent of the public eighteen to fifty-
four have bought and fully paid for their own home
(Harris, 1981).
17
Median household income levels decline as age . . c .
increases, from a high $22,400 among the eighteen to
fifty-four age group to a low of $6,000 among persons
eighty and over. Not surprisingly, among older Americans,
median income is higher among those who are still working
than among those who have retired. Individuals sixty-five
and over who remain in the work force have more than one
and one-half times the median household income of their
retired colleagues ($14,200 vs. $8,700) (Harris, 1981).
There are segments of the elderly population with more
serious financial problems than others. Blacks and
Hispanics emerge as relatively more disadvantaged than
elderly whites. The median household income of elderly
blacks is $5,000, of elderly Hispanics $5,600.
About 1 in 5 (19 percent) of whites over the age of
sixty-five have incomes under $5,000; another 25 percent
have incomes of $5,000 to $9,999. These groups are nearly
overwhelmingly female : 80 percentof elderly whites with
incomes under $5,000 are women; 58 percent of elderly
whites with incomes of $5,000 to $9,999 are women (Harris,
1981).
Social Security is the most common source of income
for older Americans, and it has become the economic main
stay for most older Americans. Regardless of the size or
adequacy of income at the time of retirement, the
18
maintenance of an "adequate income throughout old age is
a major problem for most older Americans. At any time, the
median income of the older aged population is considerably
less than that of the younger aged. The effects of a
declining U.S. economy with its spiraling rate of inflation
systematically diminish purchasing power of persons living
on relatively fixed retirement incomes (Harris, 1981).
It is commonly asserted that the economic needs of
the elderly are less than those of younger persons. Yet,
it is untrue that their needs are reduced by one-half upon
retirement, which is the percentage drop in the average
income. Furthermore, some expenses are increased upon
reaching old age, and these typically are in those
categories most heavily affected by inflation: food,
housing, medical care, and drugs (Harris, 1978).
Many older Americans cannot afford to eat adequately.
According to the Bureau of Census, the number of older
Americans living in poverty is 3.3 million with additional
2.2 million classified as "marginally poor." "Marginally
poor" translates into an aged single person having an
annual income of below $3,215, or about $63 a week. An
elderly couple living on an annual income of $4,040 would
have $78 a week for two people to live on (U.S. Congress,
1977). What this means is that this nation tolerates the
fact that 1 out , of every 6 persons over the age of
19
sixty-five lives below the official poverty level (Weg,
1982).
There have been increases in Social Security payments.
The net result of this is that many older people have been
lifted above the poverty level. In New York City, for
instance, there is a decrease of 4,000 SSI recipients each
quarter. Unfortunately, most of those people who move out
of poverty status move into the "near poor" category
(U.S. Congress, 1977).
This study will not attempt to assess financial
status. It will indicate what impact the meals are
perceived to have on a balanced budget and on savings.
Evaluation Studies of
Title III Nutritioh Programs
Three studies of the Nutrition Program for Older
Americans have been identified. The first one, "Evalua
tion of AoA Title VII Nutrition Project of 1971-1972"
was conducted prior to the White House Conference on Aging
of 1971, and involved the early nutrition demonstration
projects. The study included three items :
(1) Identification of participants and staff
activities.
(2) Transportation utilization analysis.
(3) Comparison of participants who received a meal
in a congregate setting with participants who
received a meal in a home delivered setting.
20
Under "Reasons for Attending;" 42 percent stated
Social Activities, 31 percent stated Good Food, and 24 per
cent Low Cost Meals. Fifty-nine percent lived alone, and
28 percent lived with a spouse (Urmer, 1972).
The Albany Senior Service Center Nutritional Program
(Marr and Sherman, 1975) reported that 33 percent of the
participants engaged in one or two activities other than
the meals program, another 33 percent engaged in three or
four activities outside the meals program, while 21 percent
engaged in no activities outside the program. The
participants had been coming to the center for varying
lengths of time, but the largest single group had been
coming for two to four years.
Posner (1979) noted that data relative to Title VII
impact and future planning directives could be provided
by program evaluation but that, unfortunately, the
literature in this area is sparse. Conclusive results of
the national Title VII program evaluation were scheduled to
be available by 1980. Not so. The evaluation is still
incomplete and unpublished. Posner, however, has written
a definitive book on the nutrition program, Nutrition and
the Elderly. The data were derived from in-depth inter
views with a stratified random sampling of 174 Title VII
participants who attended the Boston Title VII programs
during January to June, 1976. Her findings, pertinent to
this study are:
21
(1) Not surprisingly, 85 percent of the respondents
in the study indicated that they thought the meals
worthwhile.
(2) 69 percent indicated that socialization was the
primary determinant of attendance.
(3) 65 percent reported nutritious meals the reason
for attending.
(4) 47 percent reported outside activities the reason
for attending.
(5) 24 percent had economic incentive.
(6) 38 percent lived with spouse.
(7) 30 percent lived alone.
(8) 50 percent realized substantial savings.
22
CHAPTER III
DESIGN OF THE STUDY
Introduction
As shown in the literature review, the NPOA has grown
to become the major operating program within the AoA. If
growth is an indication of success, the concept of the
nutritious meals program has been very successful indeed.
This paper will measure "success" of the program as per
ceived by participants of SCAMP at Gardena, California.
As stated earlier under "Importance of the Study," four
areas are to be measured:
Research Goals
Research Goal I
To determine the demographic and attendance variables
of SCAMP participants.
What are the sex, age, living situation and
transportation mode of the SCAMP participant?
What are the patterns of attendance of the SCAMP
participants ?
Research Goal II
To measure the perceived impact of SCAMP on the
participants' lives.
Is SCAMP perceived by the Scampers as having
positive impact on their lives?
23
Research Goal III
To measure the perceived significance of socialization
on attendance at SCAMP.
Are Friends/Activities more significant to
attendance than Meals/Savings ?
Research Goal IV
To measure SCAMP participants' perceptions of the
value of their program.
Do the Scampers perceive the NPOA as being cost
effective ?
Do the Scampers perceive the NPOA as being an
important part of their lives?
Statement of the Working Hypotheses
Hypothesis 1
The SCAMP program is perceived by the Scampers as
having positive impact on their lives related to friends,
activities, meals and economics.
Sub-hypotheses :
H. (Friends) More Scampers meet new friends and
^ regularly see old friends at SCAMP
than at any other single location.
Hii (Activities) The majority of Scampers perceive
SCAMP as their most frequent and
important activity.
Hiii (Meals) The majority of Scampers do not
maintain a balanced diet without
SCAMP. The majority of Scampers
would not maintain a balanced diet
without SCAMP.
24
H. (Economies) At least one-third of the Scampers
depend on the sixty-five cent :
meals to balance their budget.
The majority of Scampers perceive
that they are saving money by
attending SCAMP.
Hypothesis 2
The majority of respondents will say that Friends/
Activities are more significant to attendance than Meals/
Economics.
Hypothesis 3
The majority of the respondents will say they
originally came to SCAMP for the meals.
Hypothesis 4
The majority of the SCAMP participants will perceive
the program as having value.
Sample and Population
There are three Title III nutrition sites in Gardena,
California; SCAMP, First Methodist Church, and the
Japanese Cultural Center, The population of SCAMP is
predominately white, with a sizeable number of Japanese,
very few Hispanics, and two blacks on the register. The
Japanese Cultural Center serves the Japanese Community and
the First Methodist Church the Hispanics and blacks,
although its population, too, is mostly white. This is a
study of SCAMP, a nutrition site which was started in
25
December, 1975. SCAMP meets five days a week for fifty-two
weeks of the year with the exception of legal holidays.
The food is catered and delivered to the SCAMP site at
noon, and it is served from the kitchen by volunteers at
12:30. The program is held at the Nakoka Community Center
in Gardena, California. As stated earlier, Gardena is a
blue-collar community.
For one sample week during the Spring of 1982 there
were 516 participants who signed the registration sheet and
were served meals. Since a Scamper,.as defined earlier,
is a participant who attends at least twice a, week, the
516 names on the registration sheet were alphabetized.
From this alphabetized list, 107 Scampers were noted as
having attended twice or more this sample week. From these
107 Scampers, 75 names were randomly drawn to be inter
viewed for the data collection.
Research Design and Procedure
For the interviews, open-ended and fixed-alternative
questions (see Appendix) were read from an interview
schedule and results tallied. The interviews were face-
to-face and took place in a comfortable setting familiar
to the interviewer and the respondents. It should be
added that the interviewer is a trusted friend to most
of these people, and since there are few sensitive issues
in: the questionnaire, : there was little dif ficulty in
26
obtaining responses to the questions. The staff and the
participants were aware of the project, and enthusiasti
cally agreed to be part of it.
27
CHAPTER IV
REPORTING THE DATA
Introducton
This chapter will report results of interviews with
75 participants of the Title III meals program, SCAMP, at
Gardena, California. Table 1 will show descriptive data
of the respondents, Table 2 patterns of attendance, and
Table 3 will test H^^ and working hypotheses 1, 2, 3 and 4.
Table 5 will test H^.
Description of Respondents
Research Goal I - To measure the demographic and
attendance variables of SCAMP participants.
For analyzing this data, the respondents were divided
into five categories :
very-young old-------------60-65
young-old----------- ----- 65-70
middle-old -------- ---70-75
old------- 75-80
old-old ------- ---- 80 +
Sex and Age
The data show two females to every male respondent.
Using age as a variable, - the greatest number of
28
participants are in the "young-old" (29 percent) and
"middle-old" (29 percent) groups. The percentages then
drop radically in the "old" category to 9 percent, and
rise again in the "very-old" to equal (19 percent) the
"very-young old."
When comparing sex and age, there is little difference
in the ratio of men to women in the "very-young" age
group. Thereafter the variance increases and women out
number men by a ratio of 2 to 1 until the "old-old" group
where there is an imbalance of four women to every man.
Living Situation
Fifty-nine percent of the participants live alone,
41 percent live with someone. When sex and living situai .
tion/spouse are compared, we find the greatest division.
Fifty percent of the men but only 10 percent of the women
are living with a spouse.
Tr an s p o r t a t i on
Sixty percent of the participants drive or are driven
to the program. Thirty-nine percent take the bus. It is
important to note that 74 percent of those who take the
bus indicated they could not attend without this transpor
tation. Interestingly, 20 percent of the men take the bus
and 48 percent of the women.
29
Table 1
Description of the Respondents
Participant
Characteristic No.
Gardena
Percent
Title III Program
Population (n=75)
Sex
Male 25 33
Female 50 67
Age (M) (F)
60-65 6 8
=
14 19
65-70 7 15
=
22 29
70-75 7 11
=
18 24-,
75-80 2 5
=
7 9
80 + 3 11
=
14 19
Living Situation (M) (F)
Alone 11 33
=
44 59
Spouse 10 5
=
15 20
Family 3 9
=
12 16
Other 1 3 4 5
Transportation (M)
(F)
Drive 18 16
=
34 45
Take Bus 5 24
=
29 39
Are Driven 1 7
=
8 11
Walk 1 3
=
4 5
Patterns of Attendance
This study is of 75 participants who attended the
SCAMP meals program at least twice(during one week of
May, 1982. Nearly one-half (48 percent) responded that
they attend five days a week on a regular basis, and nearly
three-fourths (71 percent) that they attended at least four
days a week.
30
When we compare age and patterns of attendance of the
total population of twenty-five men and fifty women, the
data indicated that 68 percent of the men and 38 percent of
the women attend five days a week. Interestingly, the
number of women participants in the 75-80 age group falls
off more drastically than for men in this category. Here
the number of men participating declines by 29 percent and
the women 45 percent.
Wednesday and Friday were the most popular days for
attendance, with Tuesday being the least popular.
The data showed that of the seventy-five Scampers
interviewed, 41 percent had been attending for five years.
Table 2
Patterns of Atendance
Area No. Gardena
Percent
Title III Program
Population (n=75)
Times a Week (M) (F)
Two 1 13 = 14 19
Three 4 4 8 10
Four 3 14 = 17 23
Five 17 19 = 36 48
Days of the Week*
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
* Multiple answers accepted.
56
49
71
55
66
31
Table 2 (continued)
Area No. Gardena Title III Program
Percent Population (n=75)
Number of Years
One or less 12 16
Two 12 16
Three 14 19
Four 6 9
Five 31 41
Testing the Hypotheses
Research Goal II - To measure the perceived impact of
SCAMP on the lives of the participants related to friends,
activities, meals and economics.
It was hypothesized that the Title III meals program,
SCAMP, at Gardena would be perceived by the participants
as having positive impact on their lives related to
Friends, Activities, Meals and Economics. This part of the
study attempted to measure this perceived impact.
Friends
Ninety-two percent of the respondents indicated the
location where they were most likely to make hew friends
was SCAMP. Sixty-eight percent said that SCAMP was where
they saw friends most frequehtlyi
32
Activities
In the area Activities, 69 percent of the respondents
perceived SCAMP as being the most frequently used
activity, as a reason for "getting out of the house."
Seventy percent of the respondents indicated SCAMP as the
most important activity.
Nutrition
In the area of Nutrition, 59 percent of the Scampers
perceived that they had a balanced diet on days they did
not attend SCAMP, and 60 percent indicated they would have
a balanced diet if they once again had to eat alone, plan,
shop, prepare, and cook the main meal five days a week.
It is important to note that without SCAMP, 40 percent of
the respondents indicated they did not have and would not
have a balanced meal without the program.
Economics
It was hypothesized in the area Econoiriics that one-
third of the Scampers depend on the sixty-five cent meal to
balance their budget, and that the majority of Scampers
perceive that they are saving money by attending SCAMP.
When asked if the sixty-five cent meal made a difference
in balancing their budget, 48 percent perceived that it
did. Seventy-nine percent of the participants perceived
that they saved money by attending SCAMP. The first
33
hypothesis and sub-hypotheses H., H.. and H. were
j IT j r ] _ ]_]_ IV
accepted. Sub-hypothesis was rejected.
Table 3
Gardena Title III Participants! Perceptions
of the Program Impacts as Related to Four Areas
. Gardena Title
ArpA
III Program
Percent Population (n=75)
FRIENDS
Where are you most likely to make new friends?
SCAMP 92
Church
1
Neighborhood 1
Family 1
Other
4
Where are the friends you see most often?
SCAMP 68
Church
11
Neighborhood 8
Family
5
Others
9
Recognize other Scampers
Yes 92
No 8
■ ACTIVITIES
Most frequently used location for activities.
Church
12
SCAMP
69
Clubs 1
Sports
0
Others
17
34
Table 3 (continued)
Area Gardena
Title III Program
Percent Population (n=75)
ACTIVITIES (continued)
Most important location for activities.
Church 16
SCAMP 70
Clubs 1
Sports 0
Other 12
NUTRITION
Balanced diet on non-program days.
Yes 59
No 41
Balanced diet without program.
Yes 60
No 40
ECONOMICS
Need SCAMP to balance budget.
Yes 48
No 52
Realize a savings.
Yes 79
No 21
35
Reasons for Attendance
Research Goal III - To measure the perceived
significance of socialization (friends/activities) on
attendance at SCAMP.
The second hypothesis (the majority of respondents
will say that friends/activities are more significant to
attendnce than meals/economics) has been accepted. The
data showed that five times more respondents chose
Friends/Activities over Meals/Cost of Meals as a reason
for attending SCAMP. Multiple responses were accepted as
it was found that many respondents could not separate the
two categories. Friends/Activities. Fifty-nine percent
listed Friends as a reason for attending, and 49 percent
listed Activities. Meals and cost of meals were low as a
reason for attending, 17 percent and 6 percent " - f r .
respectively.
The third hypothesis predicted that the majority of
the respondents would say they came to SCAMP originally
for the meals. The data did not support this hypothesis,
however, as only 39 percent of the participants chose
meals as their original reason for attending, while
61 percent chose Friends/Activities.
36
Table 4
Reasons for Attendance
Area
Gardena Title III Program
Percent Population (n=75)
Most Important*
Friends
Activities
Meals
Cost of Meals
Original Reason
Friends
Activities
Meals
Cost of Meals
^Multiple responses accepted,
59
49
17
6
16
45
39
0
Perceptioh of Program Value
Research Goal IV - To measure SCAMP participants
perceptions of the value of their program.
The fourth hypothesis predicted that the majority of
the SCAMP participants would perceive their program as
having value. Research Goal IV measured the participants'
perception of the value of the program. Many senior
citizens believe there is too much government spending.
In this study, each respondent was asked (as a taxpayer
and a senior citizen) if he/she thought the Title III
nutrition program, at $500,000,000 a year nationally, was
cost effective, and if he/she perceived the program as
37
having value to him/her and to others. Of the 75 respond
ents questioned, 100 percent perceived the Title III
program as being of value to themselves and to others,
and 100 percent perceived the program as being cost
effective. The fourth hypothesis, that the Scampers
would perceive their program as having value, is accepted
Table 5
Participants* Perception of Program Value
Program Value
Gardena Title III Program
Percent Population (n=75)
Value to Participant
Yes
No
Value to Others
Yes
No
Government Spending Worthwhile
Yes
No
Don* t Know
100
0
100
0
100
0
0
Participants' Comments
The following statements provide insight into feelings
of the participants, however, no structured data collec
tion format could reveal this fully or adequately. These
comments, grouped into ten relevant categories, are
38
especially pertinent to the articulation of the hypotheses.
Question: What would your reaction be if SCAMP
were cancelled?
1. Independence
"I’d lose all my friends. My family goes to school and
to work. This is mine." Connie, 78
"Well, I don't know what would be the next thing. This
is the only place my kids don’t take me." Neir, 91
"I'd feel bad. I stay in Gardena because of this. I
would go to live with my daughter and stay home and
watch TV." Mary F., 85
2. Keeps me out of rest home
"It's a life saving thing. I'd just have to find some
where else to go. If they let me down. I'm through."
Georgia, 86
"I'd be so sad. This place keeps people in their
homes . "
"If they would close I'd have difficulty living alone.
I'd miss my friends and the meals." Daisy, 77
"I wouldn't like it. My daughter works and I'd be
home alone, afraid and sick." Reade, 78
3. Let's me use my talents
"I'd sure miss activities and music. It has made me
feel worthwhile. Gives me a sense of esteem to share
my talents. It builds my morale and lets me give
happiness to others." Edith, 74
"I'd sure miss it. Activities especially get me out
of the house and give me an opportunity to use and
share my talents through my writing." Bee, 75
"It's an out, a nice place to come to see my friends.
I hate to eat alone. It gives me an opportunity to
share my talents." Elsie, 66
39
4. New life stage, different from others
"SCAMP gives me independence. For years I was tied
down to family and older ones with their problems.
Friends and activities are remarkable here. I’d be
dismayed if SCAMP would close. My daughter is busy
with her life. I feel liberated the first time in my
life. Those last few years have been the happiest of
my life." Dorothy, 81
"It's my present and my future. Because of SCAMP I
have an opportunity in this stage of my life to use my
talents and share my talents. SCAMP brought all this,
out. I do things now that I never before had an
opportunity to do." Pat, 67
"Oh, it's an important part of my life now, I don't
know what I would do. It really makes life worth
while." Olive, 73
5. Gets me out of the house
"I think it would be a very poor thing to do because
there are a lot of people who come over here and that
is all they have to do. For three years I just sat and
looked at the four walls at home alone. Since I have
been coming here I have joined all the clubs and gone
on all the trips." Gordon, 65
"Very disappointed. It gives me a chance to mingle;
gives me a chance to have pleasant thoughts and to get
out of the house. I couldn't get along without
SCAMP." Byron, 77
"I'd be heartsick. I'd be stuck at home alone."
Helen, 79
"Sit home and cry! I'd feel very bad not to be able
to come here. I'd be home cleaning my house. This
gets me out of a rut. It's not that I don't have
anything to do, but I need this place." Edith, 75
"Best place in the world. Every community should have
one. When you wake up in the morning you have a reason
for getting up,.and a reason for living. Without it,
gloom and depression and no reason for getting up."
Clarence, 64
40
6. Sociability
"I think it is a grand thing. It's wonderful. You
get to laugh, to talk, do things, belong to a class.
You hear jokes, you laugh. I'd sit at home and read,
mend. I'd miss it." Marguerite, 92
"I'd feel very bad about it. I can look forward to t
one good meal a day and to see my friends." Jean, 70
"We'd be lost. It gives us a chance to get together
and to make new friends." Dutch, 66
7. Purpose to life
"I would panic. When it's not open I wonder what I
would do. It's hell to be alone and lonely. It's a
marvelous program, and is my reason for living."
Ruth, 70
"Terrible, because I'd stay home and I need something
to think about besides myself. It's a life saver."
Maria, 60
8. Tough it out
"I'd stay home and make do." Alex, 64
"Well, we'd just have to take it and do the next best
thing." Lura, 86
"I'd just have to spend more money." Lou, 63
9. Economics
"It would effect my life terrible. I'd have a hell of
a time making ends meet." Leo, 84
"I need the money. A really good place. I couldn't
get along without it." Daly, 84
"I wouldn't like it a bit. I'd have to get reorganized
I don't know if I could manage." Vanasche, 85
10. Meals
"I would be disappointed. I'd miss the balanced meals,
the social contacts, the activities." Betty
41
"I think there would be a lot of people who wouldn't
have a balanced diet because they couldn't afford it."
Kathryn, 70
"I just wouldn't eat." Fay, 83
42
CHAPTER V
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Introduction
This study was made at the SCAMP meals program in
Gardena, California. The findings from the research will
be summarized in this chapter and conclusions stated. Also
included in this chapter will be implications of the study,
limitations and recommendations for future research.
Limitations
The study was limited to those participants who attend
SCAMP at least twice a week on a regular basis. Positive
impact would seem to be implicit in being a Scamper. If
you like it you attend, if you don't like it you stay away.
This study, then, was of persons who like the program and
would be inclined to give positive answers to the questions.
Implications of the Study
There are 96 nutrition sites in Los Angeles, County,
and 85 in the City of Los Angeles. You cannot extrapolate
the results of this one study to all sites, but the study
is important and meaningful because it shows that one site,
SCAMP, with a strong site director, excellent adult
education teachers, and a cooperative staff has developed
a sense of community among the older citizens who
43
participate and is perceived by these participants as being
of value. The study shows that SCAMP has met three of the
four goals set forth in the OAA. The fourth goal, to
promote better health among the older segment, could be
assumed as having been fulfilled as a direct result of the
other three; however, it was not measured. This study has
shown that this government project, perhaps unique among
many others, is perceived by 100 percent of the respondents
as being worthwhile--a sense of community unheard of .in most
social-welfare programs.
If we compare this study with the 1976 Posner Study
of the Boston Title VII programs, we find many similar
ities :
Table 6
Description of Respondents
Participant
Characteristic
Boston Title VII
Study
% Population (n=175)
Scamp Study
% Population
(n=75)
Sex
Age
Male
Female
60-65
66-74
75+
31.6
68.4
17.8
47.9
34.3
33
67
19
53
28
44
Table 6 (continued)
Participant
Characteristic
Boston Title VII
Study
% Population (n=175)
Scamp Study
% Population
(n=75)
Living Situation
Alone 30.1 59 -
Spouse 38.8 20
Family 15.8 16
Other 15.3 5
Have Attended One Year
77.9 74
or more
Table 7
Reasons for Attendance
Reasons
Boston Title VII
Study
% Population (n=175)
Scamp Study
% Population
(n=75)
Friends
Activities (reason to
get out of the house)
Meals
Cost
63.8
47
12
24
59
49
17
6
45
Table 8
Perceived Significance of
Socialization on Attendance*
Boston Title VII
Study
% Population (n=175)
Scamp Study
% Population
(n=75)
Activities 69 59
Friends 47 49
Meals 64 17
Cost of Meals 24 6
^Multiple responses accepted
Table 9
Participants' Perception of the Value
of the Program
Degree of Perceived
Value
Boston Title VII
Study
% Population (n=175)
Scamp Study
% Population
(n=75)
Worthwhile
Not Worthwhile
85
1.9
100
0
(The Boston Study included "somewhat" and "don’t know" categories for
remaining 3.9 percent.)
46
Implication for Future Research
The intent of this study was to focus on one
nutrition program, SCAMP. Future research questions are
needed to compare this site with others, and to find why
participants of SCAMP perceive their program as being so
successful.
(1) What makes this program so successful? SCAMP is
a combination of many things including a capable and caring
site director, a variety of adult education classes,
excellent teachers, a beautiful community center, and a
cooperative city. Are all nutrition programs this
effective ?
(2) Do Scampers get sick less? and why? It would
be important to know what effect the meals, the socializa
tion, and the sense of community has on their well-being.
(3) Where are the old-old men? In the over 80 group,
79 percent are women. Where are the old women (75-80)?
Why is the age category 75-80 so low for both men and
women?
(4) The nutrition program could be proved cost
effective if a study could show that the program keeps
people in their own homes and out of rest homes.
(5) Why did such a large number of respondents say
they needed somewhere to go, a reason for getting out of
the house? Do older Americans need a place to establish
47
their own sense of community? Scampers usually use the
possessive when they speak of SCAMP--my program or our
program, never the program. Is this nutrition program
filling a serious gap in older Americans' lives?
(6) How significant is the name "SCAMP" to
attendance?
(7) One hundred percent perceived SCAMP as being
worthwhile. We need to ask exactly what about the program
they perceive as being worthwhile.
Summary
There are two women for every man as regular
participants at SCAMP. The greatest percentage of
Scampers are in the 65-75 age bracket. The 75-80 group
drops drastically in number and rises again (but only for
women) in the 80 and over category. Most participants live
alone. A significant one-third of the Scampers take the
special bus, and the majority of this group could not
attend without this transportation.
Most of the participants attend more than three days
a week. Two-thirds of the men but only one-fourth of the
women attend five days a week. Wednesday and Friday are
the most popular days. Half of the respondents stated that
they have been attending regularly for over three years,
and one-third had been attending regularly for five years.
The Scampers perceived SCAMP as being their chief
48
source of new friends, and the place where they see their
friends most often. Most Scampers recognized three-fourths
of their fellow participants in the dining hall. SCAMP
provides the respondent with both his most important
activity, and his most frequently used activity. Over
one-half of the participants said they have a balanced diet
on non-program days. If the program were cancelled, the
majority of the Scampers indicated they would have a
balanced diet, although the percentage who indicated they
would not is significant. Nearly one-half of the
respondents need the sixty-five center meal to balance
their budget. Three-fourths said they realized a signifi
cant savings in their monthly expenses by attending SCAMP.
As the original reason for attending SCAMP, the
greatest number of respondents chose activities (or a
reason to get out of the house). When queried as to .
reasons for attending on a regular basis (multiple
responses were accepted), five times as many respondents
said Friends/Activities as Meals/Cost.
All of the participants perceived the program as
having value to themselves as well as to others and all
agreed the government spending was worthwhile.
Conclusions
This has been ah interesting and valuable study. The
hypotheses were appropriate, and the data collecting
49
instrument was valid. The results gratified the writer,
and the thesis has been a learning experience for all
involved--the Scampers, the Gardena Adult School and SCAMP.
The original intent of the NPOA was to provide a
nutritious meal for the older Americans who were (1) unable
to cook, (2) isolated and lonely, (3) economically deprived
and/or (4) lacked the skills to cook a balanced meal. Most
of the respondents in this study cannot fit comfortably :
into any of these four categories. If the meals program is
to satisfy the needs of older Americans, we need to define
these needs. On page 8 of this paper under the section
entitled "Need, Philosophy, and History of the Nutrition
Program," Kusseke was reported to have said that food is
more than a portion of chemicals, that there are social and
psychological aspects of eating that have profound effects
on the quality of life. She noted further that the
nutrition program should not be an adjunct to welfare, but
a national prevention health care policy. Unfortunately,
her final statement was not included in this paper because
at the time it seemed unscientific to the writer.
Kusseke's final statement was that the program was "simply
designed to allow older adults to come together and break
bread. " After thiss study was completed and the data
analyzed, it became apparent that this was the basic need
of these repsondents.
50
It gives me a chance to mingle ; gives me a
chance to have pleasant thoughts and to get
out of the house. I couldn’t get along with
out SCAMP. (Byron, 77)
When the four aspects of SCAMP, Friends/Activities
and Meals/Cost of Meals, were tested for perceived
importance, the study revealed that socialization
(Friends/Activities) were perceived by three-fourths of the
Scampers as being the most important reason for attendance.
Apparently these Scampers are not a special interest group
with certain esoteric needs, nor are they a stratified
section of the society. They are simply a group of older
Americans looking for some reason to get out of the house
where they can "break bread" with friends.
I think it is a grand thing. It's wonderful.
You get to laugh, to talk, do things, belong
to a class. You hear jokes, you laugh. I'd
sit at home and read, mend. I’d miss it,
(Mar gue rite, 92)
Implicit in being old is loss. No matter how fortun
ate, there are losses—friends, spouse, family , job, health,
home, youth. The number of losses and the degree of stress
involved differ from person to person.
I would panic (without SCAMP). When it’s not
open I wonder what I would do. It’s hell to
be alone and lonely. It’s a marvelous program
and is my reason for living, (Rttth, 70)_
As older people suffer losses, certain needs arisa,
needs that are important to fill the gap in. damaged psyches,
Apparently this nutrition program, SCAMP, is succassful
51
because it supplies that need. It is a place where older
Americans in Gardena can get together with their own
generation, away from an empty house or a daughter's house,
and be themselves. They seem to need the non-judgmental
independence, the sense of freedom that "this is my
program" brings.
SCAMP gives me independence. For years I was
tied down to family and older ones with their
problems. Friends and activities are remarkable
here. I'd be dismayed if SCAMP would close. My
daughter is busy with her life. These last few
years have been the happiest of my life.
(Dorothy, 81)
Although three times as many respondents perceived
Friends/Activities to be more important to attendance than
Meals/Cost of Meals, it is interesting to note that
48 percent of the seventy-five Scampers said they needed
the sixty-five centcmeal to balance their monthly budget
and 70 percent said they realized a savings by attending.
It should be important to government agencies to know that
these nutritious and inexpensive meals are now a part of
many older Americans' economic survival. Cancellation of
the program could seriously disturb this delicate balance.
If Title III of the Older Americans Act keeps America's
seniors healthy, independent, productive, and free of rest
homes, it is an economically sound and cost-effective
government program.
The fourth Hypothesis predicted the majority of
52
Scampers would perceive the program as having value. The
data showed that 100 percent of the respondents perceived
the program as being of value to them and to others, and
that the cost of $500,000,000 was worthwhile. The skewed
data appears worthless and the questions invalid. However,
if 100 percent of the Scampers feel their program is
worthwhile, SCAMP must have an awesome sense of community.
For participants of a federal/state social-welfare program
to be in 100 percent agreement as to its value is unique.
Perhaps the reason this program is so highly valued by the
participants is that it is their community and their
program and they function within it as important beings.
It is hard for us seniors to put into words
just how we feel about our program. It has
enriched our lives to the extent that we now
have a zest for living. SCAMP has been a
tremendous tool to get us together around a
table. Besides the good we get from the
nutritious meals, we also have a grand time
socially. Dorothy, 80
53
BIBLIOGRAPHY
54
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Butler, Robert N. Aging and Mental Health. St. Louis,
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"Nutrition Education and the Elderly," Journal of
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Harris, Charles H. Aging in America : A Profile of America's
Older PopulationT Washington, B.C.: National Council
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Harris, Charles S. Aging in the Eighties : America:in
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Havighurst, R., Munniche, J., Neugarten, B. Ad]ustment to
Retirement: A Cross-National Study. New York :
Humanities Press, 1978.
Howard, L. "The National Title Vll Evaluation Study,"
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Kalish, Richard A. Late Adulttlood; Perspectives on Human
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Palmore, E. B. "Social Factors in Mental Illness:; of the
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1st Session, Mitchell, South Dakota, 1974.
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for the Elderly." Washington, D.C.: Government
Printing Office, 1974.
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59
APPENDIX
APPENDIX A
COMMENTS FROM PARTICIPANTS
"I'd sure miss it. Activities, especially, get me out of
the house and give me an opportunity to use and share my
talents through my wr i t ing. ' '
"I'd have a nervous breakdown! I'd blame it on the
President. Senior Citizens need someplace to go."
"I'd complain to somebody. My mother gets meals on wheels
in the east and I came here to help somebody else's
mother,"
"I could manage, but I'd be very disappointed as I have few
outside activities."
"I’d feel bad, disappointed. The elderly have no place to
go or do anything. The elderly need to have places to go.'
"A lot of people would be desolate, but I could find some
thing else."
'Bad, no place to go
"I’d lose all my friends. My family goes to school and to
work. This is mine."
"I would panic. When it’s not open I wonder what I would
do. ItIs hell to be alone and lonely. It's a marvelous
program. ’ ’
"I'd be disappointed, but we could make do. We can go and
do things. ’ ’
"I'd be lost again. When you have sickness no one visits
you. I was desparate and ready for sleeping pills. I
can't tell you what this has meant to me. I'm all alone
in this world. I just can't tell you. I've met wonderful
people here."
"I don't know what would be the next thing. This is the
only place my kids don't take me.’ ’
61
"I think it is a grand thing. It's wonderful. You get to
laugh, to talk, do things, belong to a class. You hear
jokes, you laugh. I'd sit at home and read, mend. I'd miss
it."
"It helps a hell of a lot of people, but I wouldn’t suffer:.:’ . ’
"It would affect my life terrible. I'd have a hell of a
time making ends meet."
"Oh, it’s such an important part of my life now, ludon't
know what I would do. It really makes life worthwhile.”
"It’s my present and future. Because of SCAMP I have an
opportunity in this stage of my life to use my talents and
share my talents. SCAMP brought this all out. I do things
now that I never before had an opportunity to do."
"It’s an out ; nice place to come to see your friends. I
hate to eat alone. Gives me an opportunity to use and ü
share my talents."
"Sit home and cry'. I’d feel very bad not to be able to
come here. I could be home cleaning my house. This gets
me out of a rut. It's not that I don't have anything to
do, but I need this place.’ ’
"I'd sure miss activities and music. It has made me feel
worthwhile. Given me a sense of esteem to share my talents.,’ ’
It builds my morale, and lets me give happiness to others. ’
"I'd feel bad. I stay in Gardena because of this. I
could go to live with my daughter and stay home and watch
TV."
"I wouldn't want it to close. I'd feel alone without it,
this is home, yes, this is home."
"I think it would be a very poor thing to do because there
is a lot of people who come over here and that is all they
have to do. For three years I just sat and looked at the
four walls at home alone. Since I have been coming here I
have joined all the clubs and gone on all the trips."
"It would be one less place for me to go.”
"Well, I’ d just have to take it and do the next best thing.”
"I'd be lost because I have made so many new friends. I’d
miss the meals and the friends and activities."
62
"I just wouldn’t eat."
"This place makes me happy."
"It wouldn't bother me too much. I appreciate it but I
could get by."
"Best place in all the world. Every community should have
one. When you get up in the morning you have a reason for
getting up, and a reason for living. Without it, gloom and
depression and no reason for getting up."
"I would be sad. There is a great deal of joy in life
because of the activities. I wouldn't know what to do lots
of days."
"I think it is the grandest thing that ever happened to
Social Security. Days would be too dull. I.Nowhere to go
to get energy."
"SCAMP gives me independence. For years I was tied down to
family and older ones with their problems. Friends and
activities are remarkable. I'd be dismayed. My daughter
is busy with her life. I feel liberated the first time in
my life. These last few years have been the happest of my
life."
"I suppose I eould get along, but my whole schedule would
have to be changed."
"I'd be so sad. This place keeps people in their homes.
If they would close I'd have difficulty living alone. I'd
miss my friends and the meals."
"I would be very sorry because lots of people would have no
place to go. I would miss the activities and friends."
"We'd be lost. It gives us a chance to get together with
people and to make new friends."
"I'd feel bad. It has been a great help to me. Being a
widow it really has,"
"If they closed it I would go out and try to get it back.
It is a wonderful thing for the elderly. A lot of opeople
would really suffer."
"I'd be unhappy about it. I like the food and I like the
friends."
63
"I think there would be 4 lot of people who wouldn't have
a balanced diet because they couldn't afford it."
"I'd be disappointed, People wouldn't have any place to
go. I'd feel bad for everybody. It Was surely a life
saver for me."
I'd be disappointed. No friends and no dinners.
Tl
"Terrible because I'd be home and I need something to
think about besides myself. It's a life saver."
"I'd feel bad. It's built into our way of life, friends,
meals,"
"I'd stay at home and make do,"
"I'd have a heart attack! Next to my home I love fCAHP."
"I'd miss it some, but I could get
"I'd feel very bad about it. I can look forward to one
sood meal a dav and to see my friends,"
"Very disannointed. It gives me a chance to mingle. Gives
me a chance to have pleasant thoughts and to get out of
the house. I couldn't get along."
"I wouldn't like it a bit. I'd really have to get
reorganized."
"I'd be out of luck because of my disability. My eyes and
equilibrium are poor,"
"I'd miss it. I'd just have to stay home,"
"I'd be terribly disappointed because it's part of my
routine."
"I'd just have to make do. I come here to my good friends . "
"I guess we'd stop coming."
"Just like a fish out of water. I'd feel so bad."
"I could get by, but I'd miss it."
"For one thing I would feel depression. I'd miss the
people I've learned to enjoy."
64
"I'd be heartsick because I'd be stuck at home alone."
"It's a life saving thing. I'd just have to find somewhere
else to go. If they let me down I'm through."
"Wouldn't make a big difference. I could get along easily.
"I wouldn't like it because it gives me something to do and
get out of the house."
"Lost. We've been coming here, talking to someone in the
middle of the day."
"I wouldn't like it. My daughter works and I'd be home
alone afraid and sick."
"I would be disappointed. I'd miss the balanced meals, the
social contact, the activities."
"I'd be angry because it gives me a place to go. I just
love it."
I'd have to spend more money
IT
"I need the money. A really good place. I couldn't get
along without it."
65
APPENDIX B
DATA COLLECTING INSTRUMENT
Research Goal I ; To measure the demographÿ j and attendance
of SCAMP participants.
1. Respondent’s name and sex will be opposite his
number on data collection sheet.
With your permission, I would like to ask a few
factual questions about yourself that will help us to
know more about SCAMP participants.
2. Age
60-65 65-70 70-75 75-80 80+ “
3. Living Situation : ' ' ' _____
Alone Spouse Family Other
4. When you come to SCAMP, what is your mode of
transportation?
Drive Take Bus Are Driven Walk
5. How many times a week do you usually attend SCAMP?
~1T“ — T— — 5 —
6. What days of the week do you usually attend SCAMP?
Mon. Tues, Wed. Thurs. Fri.
7. SCAMP started in December 1976, How many years have
you attended?
~ T ~ Z 3 ZT
6A. What is your favorite day? Why?
66
Research Goal II: To measure the perceived impact of
SCAMP on the lives of the participants
related to friends, activities, meals
and economics.
(Friends)
8. I would like you to look at this list and tell me,
today, at this stage of your life, where are you most
likely to find new friends?
SCAMP Church Ne ighhorhoo d Family Other
9. Where are the friends whom you see weekly? (or most
often?)
SCAMP Church Ne ighbo rho o d Family Other
10. As you look around this room, do you know three-
fourths of the people? Would you recognize them on
the street?
Yes No
(Activities)
11. Here are five different categories. They are places
where you might have outside activities. For those
activities that get you out of the house, which one
is the one you use most frequently?
Church SCAMP Clubs Sports Others
12. Where do you find the most important activity or the
one that means the:most to you?
Church SCAMP Clubs Sports Others
13. SCAMP has a trained dietician who plans meals for our
nutrition program. These meals contain a part of the
recommended daily allowance of all vitamins, minerals,
and food groups. A balanced diet is very important to
well-being at any age. Do you have a balanced diet
on the days you do not attend SCA>ÎP?
Yes No Don't Know
67
14. If you had to eat alone and plan, shop, prepare and
cook the main meal for five days of the week, would
you have a balanced diet?
ÿês ” No Don't Know
(Economics)
15. Most of us are retired and living on fixed incomes.
The SCAMP nutrition program offers us a well-balanced
nutritious meal for %.65. Does this $.65 meal make
a difference in balancing your budget?
Yes No
16. Because of SCAMP do you realize any savings in your
monthly food expenditures?
Yes No
68
Re se ay ch Go al IX X ; To measure the perceived significance
of socialization Cfriends/activitiesi
on attendance at
17. Here are four categories: friends, activities, meals,
and cost of the meals. They are all part of our
SCAMP program. Which one is most important to you as
a SCAMP participant?
Friends Activities Meals Cost of Meals
18, What was the original reason for your coming to SCAÏ4P?
Friends Activities Meals Cost of Meals
69
Research Goal IV: To measure the participants' perceptions
of the value of the program.
19. SCAMP is a nutrition program funded by the city of
Gardena and the federal government under the Older
Americans Act. As a taxpayer and a senior citizen,
do you think SCAMP is of value to you?
Jes No
20. Is it of value to others?
Yes No
21. The, federal government has allocated $500 ,000 ,000 for
the FY1982 Title 111 meals program of which SCAMP is
a part. Do you think all this government spending is
worthwhile?
Yes No
22. If SCAMP were cancelled, what would your reaction be?
70

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Asset Metadata

Creator O'Neill, Roberta A. (author)

Core Title Impact of the Title III Meals Program as perceived by the participants of SCAMP

Degree Master of Science

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag Health and Environmental Sciences,OAI-PMH Harvest,Social Sciences

Format application/pdf (imt)

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