LE | WINE, tf

 

City oF New Yor«K

DEPARTMENT OF WELFARE
250 CHURCH STREET
NEW YORK 13, N. Y.
DIGBY 4-8700

HENRY L. MCCARTHY
COMMISSIONER

April 10, 1953

Lawrence Kolb, M. D.

Executive Secretary

The Philadelphia Mental
Health Survey Committee

6645 32 Street, N. W.

Washington 15, D. CG.

Dear Dr. Kolb:

We haye twelve day centers in New York City, servicing some 5,000 older per-
sons. The usual pattern in the day centers, though they differ in some respects,

“Gs for the Department of Welfare to supply the staff and the know-how, the pri-

vate social agency to supply the building and some of the equipment, and for the
community in each area where the center is organized to supply the Board of Dir-

j-—ectors and lay and professional people, who raise additional funds necessary for

operation. The approximate cost of the center is about $30,000 a year, which
approximates about $30 a year per person. This includes rental, maintenance of
building, staff, and equipment and materials used in crafts.

We believe our program is basically a mental health program. We are not con-
cerned with recreation; we are concerned with a substitute for the loss of a daily
routine or work. We are not concerned with evening programs or weekend programs.
We believe all people need leisure time activity and that the older person should
be part of the community in his leisure time activity.

But it is the 9 to 5 hours which we are concerned with. We have found that
activity is tremendously important to mental health and that mental health is com-
municable. We have had a drop of 50% in clinic attendance and in some centers as
high as 70%, after six months attendance at our centers. We have had no admissions
to mental hospitals in the ten years of our existence. Dr. Rusk pointed up that
in the Hodson Center alone there should have been at least 60 admissions to mental
hospitals in the seven years of its existence. We have had patients from Manhattan
State Hospital _and_other hospitals who have made unusual adjustments to living in
the comminity “Dy attending the dey centers. We have seen severe Cardiac cases
thrive and function adequately in our center program. We believe this is one of the
basic answers to the tremendous number of clder peoplee
Lawrence Kolb, M.D. (cont'd) Page 2

' In New York City there are some 661,000 people past 65. 100,000 are employed.
50,000: are self-employed. This leaves some 510,000 people with little to do anda
long time in which to do it. Very few of these people can be absorbed in the labor
market, even though conditions might be perfect. Most of them are housewives, and
most of the others are aged people. We believe the need is to do a preventive job
for the 510,000 people, so that they do not deteriorate prematurely. We believe
they need the group support and group activity, which can help maintain their
strength. I see no other answer but the day center as a new resource in the commun-
ity. A day center program, plus medical and boarding arrangements, can be a con-
structive answer to the need of the older people.

The enclosed material may be of interest to you.

Sincerely,

<2
—

Cie lang ee
Harry Leyine, Administrator
Day Center Program for the Aged

HL/ew

Enclosures