Evening star., 1941-11-04
Welfare Board
Urges Delay on
Home for Aged
Three-Point Program
AssoiIed by Mason
As Inadequate

AS lnodequote
A proposal offered today by the
Board of Public Welfare to post
pone the suggested construction Of
new housing for the much-investi-
gated Home for Aged and Infirm,
pending construction of 200-bed
hospital for chronics. Immediately
drew the fire of Commissioner Guy
Mason as a plan both inadequate
and incomplete"
The Welfare Board program,
adopted at a special meeting yes
terday and released only after it
had been filed formally with the
Commissioners, proposes three
steps:
/. A deficiency appropriation to
improve conditions and enlarge the
staff at the old Blue Plains estab-
Ishment purposes for which the
city heads have already agreed to
recommend Sl75,000.
Gallinger Addition.
2. REQUEST for a deficiency appro-
priation for construction of an in
Urinary or hospital for the chron-
ically i'll as an addition to Gallinger
Hospital to house minimum OF
200; and
3. That very careful placements
Of some of the aged now at the
home in private quarters be started
meanwhile, since the Welfare Board
felt that perhaps 100 or more Of the
present 600 population of the home
might be well cared for under such
q plan.
The Welfare Board recommended
plans for a new institution building
itself be postponed, first so that
more study could be given as to its
capacity needs and, second, that 1t
has been informed it will not be
possible for the District to get pri-
critics needed for building a new
home. It added this same difficulty
would not be encountered in build
ing the hospital for chronic pa
tients.
Commissioner Mason, after study
ing the document and speaking per-
sonally, attacked the board for still
thinking in terms of farming out
old people at so much per head per
month in private families" AS to
this part of the recommendations
he said, Il am unalterably op-
posed"
Problem Long Under Discussion.
He said the report was incomplete
because it postpones to an indefi-
mite date for study purposes a
matter that had been before the
Welfare Board for two years-"since
Mrs. Roosevelt made her expose Of
conditions at Blue Plains" -.
The Commissioner approved the
suggested construction of an in
firmary as a wing at Gallinger for
the care of the INDECENT aged who
are incurably i'll or unable to care
for themselves even at the Home
for Aged.
Discussing the question of farm
ing out" aged persons. he said:
personal talks with inmates Of
the home have indicated clearly
that things they would get at we'll
conducted home-companionship OF
elderly persons-would be lost. Com
panionship is about all that an ell
derly person in INDECENT circum-
stances has They would get this
at q well-conducted home.
This is my personal view. and not
the view of the Board of Commis-
sioners, to whom the report will 60"
Commissioner Mason, who super
vises welfare matters. was one Of a
group of District officials who re-
Gently made an inspection of con-
ditions at Blue Plains. He came
away with the feeling that in many
respects the aged and inf1rm there
were treated worse than criminals at
Lorton or Occoquan.
Actual Sites Studied.
Following that inspection trip, the
Commissioners tentatively adopted
q plan for construction of a new
home to cost between 100000 and
81 ,000.0 900. Actual sites were studied
by District engineers at the pres
ent Blue Plains site or at Glenn
Dale, Md.
In it's report TO the Commissioners
the Welfare Board said:
There is evidence of lack of
understanding about the proposal
to place out aged persons. Such
placements must take into account
the individual needs of the persons,
including such points as the need
for nursing care, medical attention,
social life and individual choice.
The proposal also includes the
placement of the group who are
not proper inmates of an institution.
We do not know at the present
moment how many belong in this
group, but we have sufficient evi-
dence from an experience over a
period Of six months by one worker
to show that this group may be sub
stantial; i.e., it may include at least
100 persons.
Since new construction of any
kind is at least two years off, it
seems only reasonable to proceed
with plans to reduce the institu-
tional population to the extent
that it can be reduced without
subjecting any inmate to any hard
ship"