4,537 Comments for Pennhurst State School

I have a late 1920s dental Xray machine. I am moving from Northern Virginia to CA. It is in storage and will be moved within a couple of months. I have manuals which where in the door of the machine but are now packed separetly. Any interest contact TVCHANNEL01 at gmail.com

Whew! Marcia you must be tired keeping up with the discussions for eight years! Kudos to you. Thank you for explaining! (Several times mind you). It is truly interesting to see/read personal involvement in the Mr. Mott photo galleries. I am thoroughly enjoying the photo viewing session I've put myself through today.

Thanks Christina O. You have restored my faith that there really are people out there that get it. I think that there is a high percentage of people that are victims of whisper down the lane . Somewhere someone relates an experience or observation and as the story gets retold it changes , sometimes just a bit other times drastically. Of course they are convinced of the validity of their story and refuse to believe anyone with true experience. Suddenly we are delusional and covering up the "real facts". It just gets frustrating after awhile.

Marcia,
I want to thank you for coming here and posting what you knew about the picture. Many of the younger generation, who worked in health care, especially long-term facilities, or stayed in one, do not remember what it was like before the OBRA Act. My mother worked as a nurses in a nursing home in the 1980s, and she was so shocked an appalled at how the nursing staff treated the elderly, many of whom were in their right minds, just physically unable to take care of themselves and their families had jobs and lives and could not take care of them. These horror stories from the 1960s-1980s dominated the media and that is what many people are going on today. Most of the nurses and nursing crew coming in to long-term health facilities do not know about the horrors that could be happening, and before OBRA, you certainly did not report it because you could be fired for reporting abuse.

As far as I know, there were no "nursing home abuse" lawyers before OBRA, because people turned a blind eye. It wasn't until much later that news sensations and teams were put together to actually correct this.

In my recent years, I have subjected my family to family therapy, and we have been treated coldly, as objects not people, by psychologists, psychiatrists, counselors, doctors and pharmacists. The stigma of mental health is still out there, and unfortunately my seven year old has been exposed to this. Someone looking from the outside in, and seeing the picture above, would assume the children made it as an escape. I know I made that unfortunate assumption because my own daughter made a similar picture when she was five. It took her five year old wisdom to tell me that the doctors, nurses and pharmacists in our family therapy clinic were treating us like inferior robots for my eyes to be opened. Going back through my blog, it seems that others had commented the same feelings to me, and I had not realised what they were saying until someone drew me a picture (HA!).

You have to admit, to someone looking in, the drawing above does seem to be pretty depressing. It's not as if Pennhurst left behind museam quality notes on the debris, even though the drawing is of good quality. However, I knew many children with Downs Syndrome who were exceptionally good at drawing, I suppose because their teacher really praised them on making pretty pictures.

Marcia, thank you,again, for coming here and explaining the story behind the drawing. Visualising adult workers of the hospital making it in a peaceful protest to a "Cheer Up, Miserable Kid!" workshop did make me giggle. Please excuse the ignorance of the youth, whose only experience in long-term health care is either their own employment, nursing schooling, based on their family members experiences, sensationalistic lawyer ads on TV, archived shock-journalism of the 1960s, and the internet (the best man-made pile of crap to come down the pike; anyone with a keyboard can post their "experience" and "truth" and not have to have any of it verified).

I found this on Youtube, T.A.P.S. Investigated live on Halloween. The owner is present and gives them a bit of history on the place, including the basement playroom affectionately called "CandyLand"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9kriPDr34Q

And of course someone had to suggest they burned other things than coal...brrrrr.

@ mike - thanks for the info. This place really is educational!

So many powerful comments about stolen lives.

Will be including some thanks to God tonight that I grew up in a loving family with toys all my own.

Their souls are gone to eternity, but the awfulness remains.

renee: I also have the same equipment (stock #6-013-680). If you happen to get any responses, I'd be interested. I also have the 6' stand that goes with the overall field set-up if you don't. Might make your set more valuable, so let me know if you need/want it. Part of my set is missing, but the parts that are left, including the x-ray replacement tube and some other hardware are in mint condition as well. I see a lot of offering of this stuff for four-figure numbers, but not sure if anyone's buying. Anyone here have any thoughts on that?

I have a Picker X-Ray Corp Waite MFG Division Stock NO 6-013-680 in almost mint cond, with instuction manual. Does anyone know the value?

I had a care provider give me sponge baths for a month or so when I was unable to due to cognitive problems from psychosis. I couldn't figure out how to work the shower and organize my clothes to dress. I felt very cared for by her. She was kind. On the other hand, when I had several people supervise me at one time during a bath I felt very exposed and embarrassed. I was like a child due to my psychosis. An adult acting like a child is different and they treated me like I was strange. At least that is how I remember it. It was when I was in a seclusion room for a month and I guess by law they were required to have several people supervise me. I suppose I was lucky to have had one at all although it didn't feel that way at the time.

well said dme

Hi guys I've just recently discovered the pennhurst " story " and really want to find out more I've been researching for days and seem to go in circles, I would love to know more about this binder and not sure if anyone has ever received extra info but just in case my e mail is kerd01@hotmail.com if any
One would b kind enough to send me anything at all.
Plse put pennhurst in subject :)

I think this room was a shower room, but at one time had a door that led to fire escape ladders to the ground.

That looks like a very eerie walk down that hall