The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-02-11

What should be the standard of
clothing. food. and care in the NUM-
cipal almshoIse? Shall it have the
regime 70 the prison, or shall 1t be hos
piJal, or is IL possible to make it
home? If it is TO be a home how far
can il be made possible, clean, sanitary,
and how varied can the food be and
how good the clothing, without making
ii TOO attractive? The answers to
these questions are being found in the
solution of the second problem stated
above. The elimination of the able
bodied element from the almshouse, to-
getheT with the segregation of certain
classes Of LEI -ctIVeS now commonly
sent 10 state institutions, is making the
RlmshOuse a home for the aged and in
firm, or at least a place where none
but the aged and infirm are cared for,
and which should be hOmelke. If the
applications are carefully investigated,
so that only those who are actually I'M
able to earn a livelihood and whose i'm
mediate relatives are actually unable
TO maintain them, and who are unable
TO do any regular and ordinary work,
are allowed to enter the institution, the
danger Of its becoming attractive" is
mtnimiZed. We can all assent to high
er standards Of care, better food, better
clothing, and a more comfortable place
for the really infirm, inCurable and sem
lie than we would favor if able-b bodied
were also 10 share in such provision.
One Of the first facts in the situation
TO be recognized is that the population
OF home for the aged and in1rm In
any large city IS a very diversified pop
ulatiOn. 1t has little hOmOgeneity,
aside from the two facts Of physical
disability and restitution. It repre-
seRts many nattOnalitieS, many re-
ligfOns, many previous occupations,
It includes all varieties Of disease that
affiict the aged, and in all degrees. It
represents all attitudes towards its
caretaker-the city. 1t is a little city in
itself. It win, If left to itself, and If
it's circumstances permit, break up into
smaller groups on lines Of nationality,
tastes, and character. This suggests
the lines along which the adminfstra-
ton. to be successful, should be d.
rected. The buildings should be so con-
structed and the labor so directed as
to allow some opportunities for natural
groupings, and in particular so as to
allow each inmate, able to do even
little work, TO do that which ne is most
able to do. While there will be no able
bodied element In our almshouse poput
latiOn If IL IS thoroughly Investigated
and wisely judged upon admission
there viii also be few, comparatively
few, who are absolutely helpless. The
man who can do only half a days
work by working all day, the man who
can only work half Of each day, the
man who has the use of his hands but
walks with great difficulty or not at all
all these, with hundreds of others are
as certainly debaTred from participa-
ton IN he ordinary Industrial life Of
the community as though they were
absolutely helpless. Yet very many Of
them can do some work. can contribute
in some degree towards the orderly op-
Grafton Of the institution in which they
are cared for, or towards the prOduc-
ton of some article required in that
or some other city institution. While
considerable progress has been made in
utilizing the labor of some Of the in
mates Of some Of our municipal aims
houses, much remains TO be accom-
plished in this direction. Greater re-
sOurcefulness than is usually found in
an institution of this class is required
however, for devising and carrying to
success further efforts Of this charac-
ter.
In every large population of the aged
and tnfirm, acute Illness, accidents or
conditions requiring surgical operations
VIII continually develop The hospital
ward is a necessary adjunct TO the
aImshouse. And If there are included
as hospital patients those suffering
from incurable diseases which permit
long years Of life, the hospital portion
becomes a large factor At the New
York City home for the aged and in
firm from One-quarter to One-third Of
the entire population are cared for in
buildings known as hosDitals and or