Evening star., 1941-01-12
By MIRIAM OTTENBERG.

By MIRIAM GUTENBERG.
On January 26. 1910, Mrs. Roose-
yelt visited the Home for the Agec
and Infirm at Blue Plains and found
1t "far below standards Of decency.
Today-almost a year later:
The beds are still head-to-foot in
some wards despite decrease In
the population of the institution
from 700 to 6l0.
A dietician still is lacking. The
menu has changed little except for
the addition of eggs daily.
The capable and trained lndl-
vidual" for whom Congress appro-
priated a superintendent's salary
has not yet been appointed.
For the water cooler in the mems
ward there is one battered tin cup
Pairs of inmates stay in the dark
bathrooms to help their aged COM
panions in and out of high tubs.
Lighting Criticized.
Poor illumination for the evening
meal, criticized by a Public Health
Service official last year, was COM
mented on by w. P A. officer who
spent an evening at the institution
recently and said the electric lights
were so dim that the inmates could
do nothing after dinner but go to
bed.
The inmates still complain that
their food is cold.
No additional fire escapes have
been provided. The fire escapes are
of a ladder type which the acting
superintendent of the institution
fears the infirm would be unable to
get down in case of fire.
These condition were found this
week by a Star reporter who had
visited the institution before Mrs.
Roosevelt made her unannounced
inspection trip last year.
The reporter found changes, too,
most of them traceable to three
sources-the resident physician pro-
vided for in the 1941 appropriation;
w. p. A. workers sent to the in
stitution without awaiting approval
of a contemplated s135,8l0 w. P. A.
project, and a $4,000 increase in
appropriations for the institution
over it's 1910 budget.
DR.. Wallace Has Been Active.
The resident physician, DR.. Joseph
Wallace, was a member OF the Gal
linger Hospital group sent to Blue
Plains last year to examine all In
firnary patients.
Since his appointment last Au-
gust, DR.. Wallace has examined and
made q detailed report on each
inmate.
He has also constituted himself a
committee of one to keep Blue Plains
from being the dumping ground
of the District. He visits every pros
pective inmate. refuses to accept
young people with venereal diseases,
epileptics and feeble minded. Since
he came to Blue Plains, only the
aged and infirm have been admitted
DR.. Wallace may be called into active
Army service at any time.
A number of patients have been
sent to Gallinger for medical atten-
ton. A 24-year-old girl suffering
from paralysis of the legs was pro-
vided with braces. Several psy-
chiatric cases were committed to St
Elizabeth's Hospital and two were
sent to the District Training School.
The doctor has asked for and re-
ceived, after patient waiting, steril-
izers for dressings and instruments
and little room which he will use
as a clinic has been built on the side
of the old treatment room.
Privacy Still Lacking.
An addition to the inf1rmary, built
with funds from the 1910 appropria-
ton, has made 1t possible to move
the beds further apart. The addi-
tional space will also make it pos
sible to use one of the old inf1rmary
rooms as a sun parlor. No curtains
have yet been hung to screen pa
tients from their neighbors.
Besides providing for the super
intendent who has not been ap-
pointed and the resident physician
as we'll as some other attendants. the
increase in the 1941 appropriation
provided for some repairs and equip
ment.
A passageway has been built of
the kitchen to allow traffic to go in
and out of doors without passing
through the kitchen; the admins
tration building has been repainted
and a larger dishwasher has been
bought so that the dishes are now
clean when they get to the table.
The Welfare Department plans to
send staff social worker to the in
stitution to determine which of the
inmates can be rehabilitated.
Young Suggests Project.
The w. P. A. project. proposed at
the suggestion of Commissioner
John Russell Young, would assign IS
w. P. A workers to aid in operation
of the institution and 81 other
workers to improve the plant. Fed
eral approval has not yet been won
w. p A. officials, however. after
going through the Blue Plains in
stitution, decided not to wait for
Federal approval. AS stop-gap
measure, nine workers drawn from
other D. C.. projects began working
at Blue Plains in December.
The workers we're instructed to
give the inmates something to do
get them interested in something
cheer them up. But materials
clay for modelling, reed for baskets
playing cards, yarn, sewing ma
terials-won't be forthcoming unit
the project is approved, since these