Page 12 - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, May 5, 1983
Activist says
elderly receive
poor health care
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By DAN GRANTHAM
Many of the health care problems that
face the elderly stem from a lack of un-
derstanding about aging and a fear of
growing old, said a leading senior
citizens's activist yesterday.
Maggie Kuhn, the 72-year-old founder
of the Gray Panthers, a group of senior
citizens advocates, spoke to 70 students,
doctors, and senior citizens at the
University Medical School's Towsley
Center.
"OUR HEALTH care system is
sick," Kuhn said, adding that many of
the problems with the system come
from a lack of understanding. of the
elderly.
"In our society, old age has been
deemed a disease, a sickness," she
said. "Old age ought not to be feared. It
ought to be enjoyed, and ought to be
more understood, because all of us are
aging."
Too often, the health care systems
abuses the elderly for the sake of
profits, Kuhn said.
"THERE ARE big bucks in nursing
homes," she said, as many homes take
in more money than they put back into
patients care. Although some im-
provements have been made, Kuhn
said there are stil many homes that ab-
use their residents.
Another problem is that our medical
system discriminates against
economically disadvantaged people,
according to Kuhn. The poor often can't
afford to stay in hospitals, or must
resort to getting care in low-qualtiy
facilities.
Kuhn said the lack of understanding
of senior citizens's problems was
demonstrated by the recent cuts to
health care funds for the elderly. To
show how much senior citizens need
federal help, the Gray Panthers are
organizing an effort to collect Medic
Medi-
care receipts to present to President
Ronald Reagan.
"We think it woulld make a .lovely
thing to send to Ronnie," she said.
Kuhn said it is up to health advocates
to press for changes in the health care
system. "You and I, as health ad-
vocates and part of a healing system,
have an enormous job to do," she said.
Daily Photo by ELIZABETH ScC
Maggie Kuhn talks about health care problems for the elderly at Towsley
Center yesterday.
Blanchard proposes 9% aid increase to 'U'
(Continued from Page 3) new committment to the state's also applauded Blanchard's efforts to University officials were optimistic
courages University officials. colleges. restore funds to the state's colleges. that the aid increase would be paid in
RICHARD Kennedy, the University "THE UNIVERSITY of Michigan's full next year if Blanchard's budget is
vice president for state relations, said However, he added that the state threefold mission of teaching, resear- adopted.
the state's turnaround from a recent would have to continue that commit- ch and service . . . merits special con- Past state aid increases have been
habit of cutting education could signal a tment if the University is going to sideration in the budget process," he chipped away by last minute budget
recover from several years of declining said. "Governor Blanchard's first cuts needed to balance the state's
state aid. "This is a first step," he said, budget clearly books. The University received three
"but as first steps go, it's a plus." bud rl begins to recognize and such cuts after the initial state budget
supr this perspective."
University President Harold Shapiro was adopted last year.
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