The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-03-02

OT IHOTe towns JOln together anJ cause to Le constructed at the most advantageous location. homes for the aged. Each such home would be composel of four wings joined in the form of an x. One wing would contain quarters for aged single men, another wing would house aged single women, the third wing would provide facilities for aged married couples and the fourth wing would house the hospital infirmary. In certain sections where the popu- latton Is dense and the number of aged. infirm or physically afflicted is sufficient to warrant 1t, the unit would comprise two or three towns CT even county. In other cases uf less dense population and the con- sequent fewer number of depeEd- ents, the unit might include a larger number of towns and even two or more counties. In any case an effort should be made to locate such homes in places not too far distant from the original habita- tions of the inmates.
 Would Dust Smaller
 AlmshOuses
 'In other words, we propose tho gradual elimination of the almshouse as 1t exists today in the majority of the smaller towns and We are con- v:nced that the small almshouscs with two CT three inmates could and should be abolished under our prea- ent system. The inmates of such homes should be placed under out door relief or in licensed boarding houses. This should be done both in the interests of economy and better care for inmates. It should not be understood, however. that we recommend the present or even the eventual abolition of those homes for the aged which, because of den- sity of population or adequate and well financed administration, are satisfactorily meeting the need in the larger cities.
 Tn general, we are convinced that the crying need is for hospitali- zation of many of the aged and for the removal from the present alms- houses of those who are not aged but who are at present inmates be i. Cal use there is no other place for them 10 go. We believe, firmly, that since the great majority of the present inmates of almshouses are chronicatly i'll or mentally deficient CT otherwise infirrn, the payment of 2 pension of $1 day, $1.50 per day, $S per week or even $50 per month would not meet the situation, We believe tie Connecticut statutes ought to crovide adequate care and make assurance doubly sure that care is not rendered in hit-or-miss way. but that 1t be designed to pro- vide fully adequate care. We be- lieve there would be no more stigma attached to residents in an eda- quate home, infirmary or sanitorium than there would be to the payment of cash gratuity. Many of the aged with whom our field agents have talked sii1ddered at being put upon their own resources, and since homes for the aged can never be abolished (nowhere have they been abolished where old age pension or cash assistance laws have been en- acted). we believe that all the ener- gies and the state and town funds availabls for the purpose should be directed toward improvement rather than substitution"
 The manufacturers association bases it's conclusions on an intensive study of all phases of the problem ir Connecticut, other states and foreign countries. It compiled vol- luminous data from visits to the poorhouses, from an analysis of employment and personnel in Con- necticut Industry and from every other available source of informa- tion assembled for the first time for this purpose. The result is that Con- necticut now has it's only complete history of old age dependency, with special application to this state which can be used as textbook on the subject since it covers the entire problem objectively from every angle and goes exhaustiveiy into the legal, social and industrial phases. Tkis report. which has been printed f.. book form, is also le- signed to serve the association and the general public as an impartial survey available for reference for some time to come.
 Cifac Groofnr Mad.