Dependence,boredom biggest handicaps to disabled
By ANN SHIELDS
Staff Reporter
The government has not created a category for Bert Geier. Sche is trapped.
Two years ago, Geier was a real estate salesman vacationing in Mexico. Then a stroke paralyzed the left side of his body, suddenly making him dependent on others.
"I'll never be able to use this again," he said last week, poking at the pale hand that lay curled and torn.
Since his stroke, Geier has been taking one small step after another towards independence—from the hospital to the classroom. He learned to dress with scout around in his wheelchair; to cherry Manor Mineral Center, and to brush his teeth.
But he has reached a dead end. Too dependent to live alone again and too independent to tolerate the constant care of the nursing home. Geier must wait until the state paves the way for his next step.
And he is not alone.
"No doubt we have people who live in nursing homes who could be living at home," said Sister Jaret Kennedy, the state ambassador whose job is investigating complaints about nursing homes.
warehouses for all kinds of dependent adults, Young, physically disabled people live in homes with semilevel housing.
What is worse, patients recovering from mental illnesses are sent to homes from the state hospital, even though the homes' staffs are not trained to help them.
Valleyview Care Home administrator Kathy Smith said she thought about 30 percent of her residents could leave the home if a few alternatives were available.
Without the alternatives, handicapped people are often further disabled, she said.
"There is a feeling of hopelessness," she said. "I creeps on them and they feel like they will never succeed."
Michael Byington of Independence, Inc. has been looking for a place for Gear for eight months and is organizing a referral service to handcapped people with landlords who have room for them.
Geer said he did not want much—just a place close to town with an entry ramp, wide doors for his wheelhairs, bar on the bathroom wall—some place to plant a garden and be reunited with his noodle, J.J.
their buildings could easily be made accessible to handcapped people was stalling his efforts to
Yet Byington said that convincing landlords that
Kennedy said that many older homes became trapped after being sent to the homes to recover from a fire.
"But people can get better," she said, "and they need to be encouraged to try at home.
"Those doctors who are prescribing continuous need to be challenged."
She said that some home administrators often discouraged residents from moving out so they would be more secure.
Patients who are not on Medicare or Medicaid are especially susceptible to this, she said, because state health insurance is less widely available.
She said she recently received a report from a county nurse saying that one administrator had convinced a patient's doctor to keep the resident in the home against his will.
"So the reasons can be economic," she said. "I suspect it's greed.
"We sometimes forget that the resident ought to have a voice—and a loud one."
She said many elderly residents were placed in homes for simple reasons such as the inability to afford housing or a disability.
"And you can't get up and dressed only five days a week," she said.
Mentally ill patients also get trapped in nursing homes because there are no halfway houses to help them adjust to the world after leaving the state hospital.
Smith said the Visiting Nurses Association could only take care of such problems from a day at a week.
"Once a nursing home gets its clutches on these horses, they are in need of the improvement of Nursing Homes, Kansanada for the Improvement of Nursing Homes."
Kennedy said nursing homes were not even licensed to care for mentally ill patients.
The staff is not trained to help them, she said, and visiting doctors usually don't have the time.
"They just make their rounds and do what they have to do," she said.
It is difficult for the different kinds of nursing home patients—geriatric, mentally retarded, physically disabled and mentally ill to live together comfortably, Peter Cerf, president of KINH, said.
"We've had the most pathetic letters from old ladies," she said, "living with these mentally retarded people who are frustrated and bored and lack affection."
snee said, mentally retarded people get bored and become misuses.
"At one home, one of the retarded men wan't touch the room during the night," she said, "and the room was full of people."
State regulations prohibit looks on residents' doors. State laws require that residents be the monthly retarded residents busy by letting them enter their homes.
For example, one Samarian Lodge resident often pushes people in wheelchairs to the dining hall and kitchen.
"But he forgets that these are very old, fragile people," she said.
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
But the mentality retarded residents are not the only ones who are frustrated.
Once, when a woman protested, he slapped her in the face she said.
"They're all fogged up and confused," he said.
"They can't talk. We just don't mix."
"The staff takes good care of us. But that's what I want to get away from."
"One of the overriding problems of people of all ages," Kennedy said, "is a lack of companionship. People in nursing homes get terribly bored. There's not much to challenge an active mind."
KANSAN
The University of Kansas—Lawrence, Kansas
Tuesday, April 29, 1980
Dizzy Gillespie on campus
See stories page three
Memo prompts police inquiry
By JENNIFER ROBLEZ Staff Reporter
Staff Reporter
an attempt by KU police to find the perpetrator of a forged memorandum might be slowed by an uncooperative television station.
A police investigation of an alleged frequent mimo to Chancellor Arielle R. Hyde, a University chancellor of the University of Kansas Medical Center, was not completed.
Mike Thomas, University director of police for both the Lawrence and Kansas City campuses, said police had yet to determine how the memo was delivered to a Kansas City, Mo. television station that reported the memo as amgen about two weeks ago.
THE MEMO said Waxman manipulated funds to cover a $2 million deficit in the Mid-American Cancer Center Program and fired the center's director.
KU officials denounced the memo as a fraud.
Thomas said the report, due yesterday, was delayed because of two pending inquiries.
"There's a couple of other things we have to do today before the preliminary investigation is complete," he said.
However, Ridge Shannon, news director of KMB CChannel 9 television, which carried the broadcast said yesterday that the station does not discuss any news from an audition.
He said the station's lawyers had been contacted by University police, but that the station would remain firm in its policy not to divulge news sources.
WITHOUT THE station's help, Thomas said, it would be difficult to determine whether the memo was hand-delivered or sent by mail.
"So far no one's confessed. This is the type of thing that we can proceed with indefinitely," Thomas said.
Thomas said the preliminary report would probably be finished late today for review by administration officials tomorrow morning.
Richard von Ende, executive secretary to the chancellor, said the administration would wait and review the report before considering its options against MKBC.
"We need to see the completed report. I can't answer any questions until we see what's been done," he said.
BEN BIGLERIKansan staff
Oz characters
The Land of "Oz" came to the KU campus yesterday afternoon when students in Mark Bernstein's design class acted out scenes for a class project movie. From left to right are Terry Gilbert, Lawrence sophomore, as the Tim Man; Libby Walden, St. Louis freshman, as the Straw Man; Anne Cortiopas, St. Louis freshman, as Dorothy; and John Mayer, St. Louis senior, as the Jake Man; "The Second Annual ATP," will be shown in Auditorium at 2:30 p.m. Thursday, admission is free.
China group returns with agreements
BYGRANT OVERSTAKE
A freakish dust storm and a minor earthquake couldn't keep a six-member delegation from the University of Kansas from its appointed taskmaster. It was one of the top universities in the People's Republic of China.
after 10 days, the tired but happy enjoyment returned to Lawrence yesterday after reaching agreements with Nankai University in Tianjin and Nanking University. An exchange program should begin in January 180 between these schools and the university, where they will receive vice president and leader of the KL delegation.
In addition to the exchange agreements reached, Shankel said that a number of contacts with science academies and institutes of technology had been imitated.
Staff Reporter
"It was a tremendously busy and exhausting trip," Shankel said. "We run into all kinds of weather. There was a small earthquake in Tanjinji on our way, only one member of our group woke up and felt it."
THE DELEGATION included Shankel; his wife, Carol. Harl Christofferstrom, vice censor for the University Press; her husband, Horwitz, vice censor for research, graduate studies and public service; and Chau Jin Lee, director of the Library.
"There was a dust storm that hit in Pekin while we were there last for two days."
"The two wives paid their own way." Dykes said. "And each of the vice chancellors have certain funds for discretionary purposes. Apart from this there was the use unrestricted Endowment Association funds, which know exactly how much they spent. But the estimate before they (left) was about $30 per person."
"We're very eager to establish relations between the Chinese and the United States. The purpose of the trip was to establish formal educational and training form and to develop cooperative programs," he said.
According to Chancellor Archee R. Dykes, the funds for the trip came from the Kansas University
A DELEGATION representing the Henan Province in China is scheduled to arrive in Lawrence on Friday.
Dykes said that the $12,000 was worth it.
"I have done quite a bit of international travel and I must say that the China trip was unique for me," he said. "I was very impressed with the openness and warmth of the people and I was impressed with their eagerness to make contact with the Western world and get up to what is going on in contemporary research.
This is the province in China that will have a sister state relationship with Kansas. The power-structures there are similar to those in Kansas.
Christoffersen said the trip was a special experience.
See CHINA page three
"I truly is a mutual agreement," he said. "I'ss not a university, but I'd guess that the Chinese universities have to exchange students and faculty in the sciences because it is in that area that they are furthest
HOROWITZ SAID the agreements have to be ratified by the Board of Regents and Gov. John Carlin for the exchange can begin, and a full vote must be taken before University faculty before the end of the semester.
On the other hand, China has an extremely rich heritage in history, culture and art that the people at the University of Kansas might benefit from if they are interested in the far east."
Horowitz said that 50 to 100 KU students and faculty could have opportunities in China during the next five years. She also said that the initial stages of relationships with researchers had begun.
"We are exploring the possibility of sending faculty to live there meetings." Horowitz said.
LEE SAID that the Cultural Revolution that began in China in 1964 caused the academic community in China to come to a standstill, and that the cultural revolution also meant that they recover from over a decade of stagnation.
"Their aspirations are to bring their level up to the international level of higher education, especially in science and technology," Lee said. "The second is to train or retrain junior faculty."
KUAC to receive open records ruling
By STEVE YOUNG
The University of Kansas has requested an opinion from the state attorney general's office on how state records laws apply to the KU Athletic Corporation. Mike Davis, University general counsel, said yesterday.
Staff Reporter
Davis said the University asked for the ruling to help KUAC adopt a policy that would be fair to all persons seeking their records and in compliance with state laws.
"We want to be fair to everyone and we want to take a position that is consistent with the policies of the state," she said.
Questions about KUAC records surfaced earlier this month when newspapers requested athletic department records.
Acting on the advice of Davis, the department released financial statements, past audits, and opened the account.
But more specific information and vouchers, which would show exactly what was being bought and by whom, were not available.
AT ISUSE is whether state open records laws apply to AT ISSUE with financial and administrative status to the state.
According to Kansas open records laws, all records kept by the law must be open to the public, unless specifically exempted.
KUAC financial records are not specifically exempted.
Another law that could affect the matter requires corporations affiliated with and subject to the control of state universities to disclose financial books and records.
But the extent to which those laws apply to KUAC is uncertain.
"It is clear that the department has a separate legal status from the university," Davis said. "What is unclear is the degree to which that separation immunizes the department from state open records laws."
However, the department receives state money for women's athletics. The athletic director is paid by the state and department operations are ultimately controlled by the chancellor.
ALSO UNCLEAR, he said, were terms in the statutes such as "books and records" and "open."
Davis said the department business office had neither the time nor personnel to handle numerous requests.
"Either you go in and give them everything and sit them in a corner, or you have to teach a little course in math."
the time nor personed to handle numerous requests. In a letter written to student body president Greg Schackne, Chancellor Archie R. Dykes said opening the records could place a burden on the department.
"No one is afraid of what might be revealed," Davis said. "But reporters aren't auditors. Without sitting down and taking the time to explain posting, there would be a tremendous potential for misunderstanding."
Davis said the department had not released certain financial documents because they would be too complex for review.
Sooot said the ruling would include opinions on whether it had already complied with them by disclosing
"To declare them public documents would mean that they would have to be open to any individual who wishes to review them," the letter said. "As you could imagine, they would have to learn everything in the problem and would be expensive to the athletic department."
A RULING from Attorney General Bob Stephen can be inferred to three weeks, according to Brad Schoolhouse.
An opinion from the attorney general's office does not become law, Smoot said, but because the attorney general serves as the state's lawyer, most groups under state control are likely to follow his rulings.
Smooth said that although his office received the University's request yesterday—and that 80 requests for opinions preceded it—the attorney general's office considered the matter important.
BOTH DYKES and Davis have said the University would follow the stronger general common
"We consider it a high priority item, so we'll move it in," he said.
Smoot said that in determining the opinion, the office would consider the specific statutes, the intent of the legislators who passed the laws, past KUAC actions and similar controversies in other states.
Art library collection to be split
Staff Reporter
By TERESA RIORDAN
Despite three years of protests, letters and petitions from KU faculty, most of the art library's collection will be moved from Walton Library to the Hein Forsman Museum. This move was made of an agreement made when the museum was planned.
Recommendations that the art library, except general art classifications of dance, music and literature, be moved to Museum Warmen were forwarded to the ad-hoc committee. The museum's collections, which had its final meeting yesterday.
Although many faculty members in the humanities department opposed the move because they said interdisciplinary studies needed a centralized library, the University was establishing an art library in the Spencer Museum.
Most of the funding for the museum came from a $4.6 million grant from Helen Foresman Spencer, which can be used for research on antiquities.
A $100,000 grant, secured for the University of Kansas Endowment Association by former Chancellor Franklin Murphy from an anonymous donor, provided for completion of the art library in the museum basement.
MARILYN CLARK, chairman of the library collections committee, said that when the University received the grant for the museum, it did not realize that there would have to be a library.
After making recommendations in its report, the committee asked for faculty comments on the new branch of the art library, which does not follow University policy of consolidating branch libraries.
Several humanities professors said they thought the split of the art library was inconvenient and that the faculty had not been adequately consulted in the creation of the library at Spencer.
*Except for librarians and the art history department, no faculty members were directly involved in the creation of this book.*
Hardin said he was glad the committee attempted to look carefully at the collection instead of moving it to another storage unit.
ANTHONY GENOVA, professor of philosophy, said it was important for the humanities department have a consolidated library because some of the faculty taught humanities programs that made use of a variety of resources.
Genova said he hoped the issue would be discussed in university Council so future academic policy questions will be addressed.
Gerald Mikelson, associate professor of Slavic languages, said, "The next time this happens, input from the faculty should be taken, since it is an academic issue."
"Those materials should be as consolidated as possible with the rest of the humanities library."
PAUL BORO, director of the art library, said a centralized library would be ideal, but that many people were overlooking the potential of the separate library in Spencer Museum.
"So many of the negative aspects of this thing are emphasized that people haven't thought of the potential."
"It has the potential to attract attention and be a great asset to the art history department." he said.
Clark said one-fifth of the grant for the library will be used for duplication of resources in the two libraries.
The library committee also recommended that all architecture books now in Watson be moved to Spencer Museum and that the applied architecture portions of the library building or the library book be placed in Watson until a new library was built.