177246 SESSION ABSTRACT - Beyond poverty - The Elder Economic Security Standard™ as a new approach to identifying basic needs

Monday, October 27, 2008: 2:30 PM

Ruth Palombo, PhD , Office of Program Planning and Management, MA Executive Office of Elder Affairs, Boston, MA
Symposium: Beyond Poverty - The Elder Economic Security Standard™ as a New Approach to Identifying Basic Needs

The federal poverty measure was developed in the early 1960s using data that found families spent about one-third of their incomes on food. The US Department of Agriculture's economy food plan cost, which was designed for the lowest possible food spending, was multiplied by three to create the poverty-line. The amount has been increased annually by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which does not accurately reflect the spending patterns of older adults. Forty years later it retains the outdated assumption that one-third of a family's budget is food and is often misused as a measure of income adequacy. Regional differences in the cost of living are also obscured. This symposium describes the development and use of an alternative, the Elder Economic Security Standard, which is based on current spending patterns and actual county-level costs. We describe the development of the Elder Standard, document how it leads to different analyses of the financial status of older adults, and detail how the Elder Standard has been used successfully in public health policy and planning in several states.

Moderator: Ruth Palombo

The Elder Economic Security Initiative's™ Genesis and Goals, Abstract ID#177224

Difficult decisions - Data and methods underlying the Elder Economic Security Standard, Abstract #175955

Will Real Economic Security Please Stand Up? The Elder Standard versus the Federal Poverty Line in California, Abstract #174273

The Elder Economic Security Standard in Policy and Practice, Abstract #175943

Learning Objectives:
Understand the history and national context within which the Elder Economic Security Standard was developed Identify key decisions made in calculating the Elder Standard that make it the amount for a very basic standard of living Evaluate how the Elder Standard compares in policy and practice with the Federal Poverty Guideline in California Discuss the organizing strategies in California around the Elder Standard

Keywords: Poverty, Policy/Policy Development

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am familiar with the EESS as well as the policy environment within which it applies
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

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