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Statement Of Robert B. Blancato
Environmental Protection Agency
Aging Initiative Public Listening Session
Baltimore, Maryland
May 7, 2003
Robert B. Blancato
National Association of Nutrition and Aging Services Programs
National Association of Nutrition and Aging Services Programs
Governor Whitman:
It is a privilege to be invited to present views on the EPA's Aging Initiative. My name is Bob Blancato and I come here representing the National Association of Nutrition and Aging Services Programs (NANASP).
I was briefed very early on this initiative by Kathy Sykes and Moya Benoit Thompson. To me, the initiative's initial value rests in the fact that it exists. Its later value will come when it achieves the goal of raising national public awareness into the unique impact that the environment has on the health and quality of life for older Americans. Its final value will come when it initiates and influences future aging and environmental policies.
NANASP, the largest national professional association representing the interests of congregate and home-delivered meal programs for the elderly, supports the initiative. Our members are dedicated to maintaining and improving the health of older persons through nutrition, nutrition education, and social programs. By providing seniors with important nutrients, the nutrition programs help to reduce the effects of some environmental hazards. For example, people with adequate calcium intake are less likely to suffer the effects of lead poisoning. The nutrition programs also play an important role in combating the consequences of temperature extremes, an environmental hazard that commonly affects older people. Many of our members work in home-delivered meal programs and have daily contact with seniors who may be homebound and otherwise isolated. So my message today would include a call for close collaboration between the initiative and the elderly nutrition program.
NANASP also recognizes the Initiative's effort to encourage older adults to volunteer to reduce environmental hazards. The Older Americans Act nutrition programs over their 30-year history have relied heavily on volunteers-and many of them are older Americans. Our experience shows that older volunteers are most effective when they have a specific mission and they feel they are in some way bettering their community. Your initiative achieves both of these criteria. The time, expertise and energy of older volunteers can be used effectively to educate communities about environmental hazards as well as to preserve the quality of the environment. Public awareness and education messages of any kind are best delivered by those who can localize and humanize the message-ideally, older volunteers with deep roots in communities.
Now switching to a former hat, I served as the Executive Director of the last White House Conference on Aging coincidentally held eight years ago this week. I now confess that environmental issues and aging got scant attention at our conference. Not because people did not care. It was more because it was not high enough on the radar screen for it to get on our agenda back in 1995.
Based on what you have already done with this Initiative, this should not reoccur at the next White House Conference on Aging to be held not later than December 31, 2005. It will be a great opportunity to maintain and expand the momentum of this initiative and start to develop policy recommendations since this initiative is very cross cutting-it relates not only to the environment but health, safety, including homeland security, as well as housing, education and advocacy.
The EPA Aging Initiative is a solid example of a federal agency displaying sensitivity to older Americans and the environment, but also recognizing their value as citizens and volunteers. I was especially pleased to hear Governor Whitman's comments earlier relative to certain OMB proposed analyses. The bottom line is ageism must never be part of any regulatory policy.
I believe all three elements of the initiative have merit and can lead us to a national agenda on the environment and the aging.
Thank you very much.