THE ISSUE, RAISED IN LEGISLATURES AND IN GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, IS WHETHER THE AGED SHOULD BE SINGLED OUT FOR SPECIAL ATTENTION OR REGARDED ONLY AS A SEGMENT OF A LARGER GROUP AND THUS FORCED TO COMPETE FOR ATTENTION, PROGRAMS, AND FUNDS. THE CONFLICT IS AT THE HEART OF THE POLICY INITIATION PROCESS. UNDER THE GENERIC APPROACH, POLICYMAKERS CAN REFER TO GENERAL DATA. UNDER THE CATEGORICAL APPROACH, WHEREBY LEGISLATION AND PROGRAMS ARE TAILORED EXCLUSIVELY FOR OLDER ADULTS, THE DATA BASE MUST BE ABSOLUTELY ACCURATE AND FOCUSED. OTHERWISE THE WELL-BEING OF THE USER POPULATION MAY BE ADVERSELY AFFECTED. LEGISLATION AFFECTING THE ELDERLY HAS BEEN NEITHER WHOLLY CATEGORICAL NOR WHOLLY GENERIC IN APPROACH. THE CONTINUAL SHIFTING BETWEEN THE TWO APPROACHES HAS RESULTED IN CHAOS WITHIN THE PUBLIC POLICY PROCESS. IT IS SUGGESTED THAT THE GENERIC APPROACH ASSUMES THE POWER EQUALITY OF COMPETING FORCES, AN EQUALITY THAT DOES NOT IN FACT EXIST. HENCE THE CONTINUATION OF CATEGORICAL PROGRAMS IS ADVOCATED. SPECIFIC AGE-RELATED PROGRAMS THAT HAVE FAILED OR ARE FAILING TO ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF OLDER AMERICANS IN THE AREAS OF HEALTH CARE, HOUSING, AND INCOME MAINTENANCE ARE CITED, AND REASONS BEHIND THE FAILURES ARE NOTED. THE FAILURES ARE SAID TO EXEMPLIFY THE PROBLEMS THAT RESULT FROM USING INACCURATE DATA IN THE INITIAL STAGES OF THE POLICY PROCESS. IT IS POINTED OUT THAT THE FIELD OF CRIME AND THE ELDERLY IS IN DANGER OF ENCOUNTERING SUCH PROBLEMS IF IT CONTINUES TO PROMOTE PROTECTIVE PROGRAMS EMPHASIZING LOCKS, BARS, ISOLATION, AND LONELINESS. THE VIEW THAT THE ELDERLY ARE THE GROUP MOST VICTIMIZED BY CRIME IS NOT SUPPORTED BY STATISTICS.