By Darby Brazoski
With the bodies of his elderly wife and two mentally retarded children surrounding him, 81-year-old Richard Brown takes one last look at what he has left behind before pulling the trigger on himself. Left behind is a three-page suicide note carefully written by the terminally ill Brown, which contained such information as how to contact out of state family members. It also contained Brown’s reason for killing the people he loved most in the world; he didn’t want them to be a burden.
Brown had recently undergone back surgery, and his wife’s health had begun to fail. Their 53-year-old son Kenneth and 49-year-old daughter Janie had both experienced physical problems along with their mental retardation throughout their lives. To Brown, there appeared to be no way for his children to survive after his death, causing him to take their lives.
Brown was described as a “selfless advocate for people with disabilities” by Kathryn duPree, deputy commissioner on the state Department of Mental Retardation. He also served on the board of directors of FORConn, a mental retardation advocacy group. How could someone seemingly so aware and active for the cause of mental retardation see death as the only possibility for his family’s problems?
Connecticut falls short in its care for the aging population of many mentally retarded people. This is a new area of concern, as until recently individuals with mental retardation were almost guaranteed an early death, however advances in medical care now makes is possible for many to live a long life. The aid and care given to individuals with mental retardation virtually stops when they turn 21, (and are forced to leave school) leaving the brunt of the responsibility in the hands of the parents. The state Department of Mental Retardation, which provides care for many elderly and late middle aged people, is where many of these individuals live after their parents are unable to care for them any longer.
Southbury Training School, the state’s home for people with mental retardation, has been the subject of numerous scandals over the years. Sexual abuse and cruelty by staff members were among the charges that caused a suit to be filed against the school in 1994. Since then, in 2004 a staff member was fired after she left a woman alone in the car, choking on her food, while she went inside a TJ Maxx to shop. The woman later died, and her caregiver was charged with second degree manslaughter for her negligence. However, the state has begun to improve the care given in Southbury Training School, and has greatly improved since the 1990s.
Can we blame Richard Brown for his actions? Brown felt that he had no other options, and in reality his choices were very limited. Brown’s actions are an indication that the care options for the aging population with mental retardation are in need of a severe makeover.
To get a better idea of some of the options available to mentally retarded people in the state of Connecticut, I e-mailed a few questions to Robert Wood, the former president of FORConn, and the parent of an adult with mental retardation.
1) If you could change any one thing about the treatment of mentally retarded people (and) in Connecticut, what would it be?
A) I would improve the access to Oral Health Care and improve the care of the aging population in Connecticut.
2) What options are available for the care of mentally retarded adults living at home whose parents are no longer in a position to care for them and if they are clients of the DMR [Department of Mental Retardation]?
A) They need to ask their case manager to put them on the Waiting List for placement in a setting of the client or guardian’s choice. Because the Waiting List for Residential Placement is very long it could take a couple of years before a placement would be available.
The following residential options are available: Supported Living, living in a group home, living in the community and living in one of the campus facilities operated by DMR.
3) How does Connecticut compare to other states in regards to the services provided to mentally retarded people?
A) It is one of the best states in which to obtain services for the mentally retarded.
4) What obstacles (in regards to state services) can the parents of a mentally retarded person expect to encounter?
A) In order to obtain services from the state you first need to be a client of the DMR. Once you have applied to the DMR for services and have been excepted you are assigned a case manager who will help you obtain the services you need. The board of education is also responsible for providing an education until they reach the age of 21 at which time they can apply to the DMR for services.