1 Comments Posted by squzz

Seems we forget that there was some good there. I had numorous relatives that worked there, adored their patients and retired from the place they started at. One of my aunts had her ribs broke by a patient who hugged her. She knew that he did not mean to hurt her and it was done with love. I am sure their was neglect and horrors there. I used to go every year at Christmas to sing to the patients and although I was very young, there was one wing which was very frightening. Having recently worked at a local bank, there were many released patients who were found "able to care for themselves" that came to me for assistance that they were not receiving from social workers. Some of them paid more in rent then they received in a month from SSI or whoever. I would see them collecting cans out of the trash to raise some money to eat. There were very few programs or state workers that assist them and I have to wonder, in their case, if it is better. Better to be freed and left untrained and with no idea how to take care of themselves opposed to at least having food, companionship, and a home. I am not saying that there were not issues however for some of the patients, it was all they had.