Click on this video. Several state agencies have web portals for modern records access. 1839, South Boston, Boston Lunatic Hospital, later called Boston Insane Hospital, Boston State Hospital. For access to those records, contact Ms Bridget Kearney, Health Information Services, Worcester Recovery Center and Hospital, 309 Belmont Street, Worcester, MA 01604, telephone 508-368-3701. Sales page here. Kim Caisse interviewed Lynn Blanchard (one of the authors above) for the Worcester State University News, Book Shows Remains of Sad Time in Mental Health Care. Studies in school included bible stories, Edwards 1st-4th Reader, geography, arithmetic, writing, grammar, physiology and history. "Their children are very fragile physically," she said. 1914, Norfolk, Norfolk State Hospital, later called M.C.I. The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation In its implementation of massive hospitals, the states institutions moved quickly to conditions that were overcrowded, and staff that was untrained. For a detailed finding aid to these manuscripts, download the 208-page pdf. They are held elsewhere. An agreement with the state required that retarded people have individual service plans tailored to their needs. Call the Massachusetts State Archives for access guidelines, 617-727-2816. Institute of Museum and Library Services After an epiphany that an orphan would appear in an orphanage record, she was launched into a new world, that of institutional records. Later, workhouses were developed in towns. From the description of Annual reports, 1898-1966. The graveyards tombstones are all photographed on Find A Grave here. "The child above was boarded out by the Boston Children's Aid Society because her mother was ill." Placing-out, The Adoption History Project, Department of History, University of Oregon, Eugene. Activating the following button will add more search options to the page. The full content of , These records have not been imaged or microfilmed. This page provides links directly to images of the records available for an institution, or to catalog entries when those records are still only in manuscript form. Bridgewater. Genealogists can access older patient or institutional registers. In 1887, the workhouse became the Bridgewater State Farm. Deemed restricted. Abandoned Monson State Hospital in Palmer, MA. Easy and fast access to Billions of record, photographs and certificates, including birth, marriage, death, burial, military, immigration and more Families warned in this way had two alternatives, to return to their town of birth or to enter the state-run almshouse. Initially under the supervision of the State Board of Lunacy and Charity, it was passed successively to the State Board of . Level of Description: Folder. 1900-ca. On March 31st, 2021, genealogist, historian, and author Amy Whorf McGuiggan gave a presentation in MGC's M:O.R.E. Weve updated the security on the site. MonsonMA DevCenter, Image by User:Magicpiano, CC BY-SA 4.0. 1856, Northampton, Lunatic Hospital at Northampton. In 1866, Monson was redesignated as the State Primary School, formalizing its developing association with impoverished children. Johnny Panzera, now 49, lives in Pine Ridge, the former home of the center's superintendent, which now houses six residents who do their own cooking. A little-known legal tool called ". " The worst, however, occurred in April 2018, when flames took to a wing of the old administration building. For many years, Donald E. Vitkus, 66, of Chicopee, who was once labeled "a moron" by the state, made a point of calling the governor's office and demanding that the institutions that house the state's mentally retarded be closed. Use partial name search or similar name spellings to catch alternate spellings or broaden your search. It was built in 1854 and added to the National. Annual reports, 1898-1966. USA. State Alms House, Bridgewater, Mass., from The Old Print Shop, New York City. (51), Epilepsy > Hospitals > Massachusetts > Monson > Periodicals. UMass/Boston has made her full work available online, Volumes 1 and 2 (1800-1864) original records,FHL DGS, Volumes1 and 2 transcribed by Ann S. Lainhart with notations,UMass/Boston. The property, whose core has been in state control since 1854, has housed a variety of facilities for providing services to the indigent or sick since then. Adult after-care clinic case files, 1969-1977; HS7.06/1300X. (11), Massachusetts Hospital for Epileptics (Monson, Mass.) The five MSU students were wounded when a gunman fired shots into their classroom in Berkey Hall the night of Feb. 13. 1873, Danvers, State Lunatic Hospital at Danvers. The State Farm Hospital Cemetery is partially posted on Find-A-Grave here. Amy's story will inspire you to delve into this type of record to learn your family's story. See blog post at http://goodoldboston.blogspot.com/2011/03/industrial-school-for-crippled-and.html. The types of institutions developed over that period is staggering. The same movement that in the 1800s moved the mentally ill into what was then considered more humane institutionalized treatment moved those with disabilities into hospitals, schools, and later large institutions. Town records show that there are 36 buildings on the property, and that its assessed value is almost $17.6 million, although it is currently tax-exempt. (11). Volume 1 (1886-1891),FHL DGS 8093554, item 3, Volume 2 (1891-1898),FHL DGS 8093554, item 4, Volume 3 (1898-1905), first part,FHL DGS 8093554, item 5, Volume 3 (1905), second part,FHL DGS 8073427, item 1, Volume 5 (1910-1915),FHL DGS 8073427, item 2, Volume 6 (1915-1918),FHL DGS 8073427, item 3, Volume 16 (1886-1891), first part,FHL DGS 7833945, item 8, Volume 16 (1891-1902), last part,FHL DGS 8093555, item 1, Volume 17 (1902-1907),FHL DGS 8093555, item 2, Inpatient commitment registers, 1886-1926,Massachusetts State Archives, record group HS7.04/1115X*, Inpatient case files, 1886-1960, 1970-1977, Massachusetts State Archives, record group HS7.04/173X*, Inpatient histories, 1886-1892, Massachusetts State Archives, record group HS7.04/278X. In 1894 it accepted only the criminally insane, and was called the State Asylum for Insane Criminals. National Endowment for the Humanities, University of Virginia Library Also known as the Dedham Temporary Home for Women and Children, and Chickering House. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. The future of the more than 400 people who work at the Monson Developmental Center is uncertain. This means the information placed in a register at the time of admittance, such as name, residence, age, next of kin, etc. Police later identified her as 22-month-old Emma Buth. The State Primary School opened at the almshouse in 1866 and continued after its closing until 1895, providing lodging, instruction, and employment for dependent and neglected children under age sixteen without settlement in the Commonwealth and some . "The people here, it's like they are hand-picked. cemeteries found in will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Many annual reports are available on Google Books (, If you have difficulty accessing records that you feel should be open, please contact the MGC Massachusetts Records Director at, Several state agencies have web portals for modern records access. Beacon newspaper, 1960-1973; HS9.11/2560X. Please enter at least 2 characters. Vitkus, who still cries when he remembers being alone in the state hospital at Christmas, met a man who had been devastated by the closing of Belchertown. "His staff was his family. Bond books for transfer of cadavers to medical schools, 1893-1944; catalog link. See the catalog entry from the Boston Public Library here. *, Adult after-care clinic case files, 1969-1977; HS7.06/1300X. For example, the digital collection 8093555 has six different register books recorded on one microfilm and now a part of one digital image database. The records that we access are under the authority of the Massachusetts Secretary of State through the Massachusetts State Archives at Columbia Point in Boston. CONTENTS ListofOfficers, Trustees'Report, Superintendent'sReport, GeneralInformation, Treasurer'sReport, Valuation, StatisticalTables, PAGE 5 7 9 17 18 24 25 It served in this role until 1887. Dustie Gauthier, now 79, worries that her daughter will not thrive with a move into the community. Located on Thompson's Island. Daily schedules and diaries, 1911-1955; catalog link. Thanks for your help! State hospital discharge case files, 1956-1971; HS7.06/1301X. Located on Thompsons Island. History [ edit] He, along with Dustie Gauthier, has been active in the parents' group for almost 40 years. Now 69 and employed by a company in Orange for more than 10 years, Carol is in another group home in Amherst where, Orzechowski feels, she is happy. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Frances L. "Dustie" Gauthier, of East Longmeadow, fights back tears when she recalls taking her then-9-year-old daughter, Donna Marie, to the Monson Developmental Center on June 12, 1969. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. Donna Marie was having up to 25 seizures a day. Massachusetts led the national movement to provide more humane treatment in the 1800s, developing massive hospitals with what was then considered advanced treatment. She was later located after being dropped off at Lawrence Hospital. Please reset your password. At that time, there were 137 severely disabled residents living there, and 403 employees. Some have looked particularly at Massachusetts records. They need services. The policy there is to allow access after a period of time, generally 75 years, but this archives period is not set in the Massachusetts General Law (M.G.L.). Monson Developmental Center is a historic site at 200 State Avenue in Monson, Massachusetts. The Monson Developmental Center was a Massachusetts state facility in Monson, Massachusetts. series describing her search for her grandfather's parents. Book Shows Remains of Sad Time in Mental Health Care, Parallels in Time: A History of Developmental Disabilities, http://mastatelibrary.blogspot.com/2017/03/old-massachusetts-hospital-records-and.html, https://fletcherfamilytree.wordpress.com/2016/05/28/record-spotlight-massachusetts-department-of-health-institutional-registers-1854-1918-on-familysearch-org/, https://passagetothepast.wordpress.com/2014/07/28/52-ancestors-week-29-update-of-the-insane/, https://blog.genealogybank.com/researching-ancestors-who-were-committed-to-asylums-using-old-newspapers.html, Department of Mental Healths FOIA request page, Department of Mental Healths medical records request page, https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/91769/memorial-search, https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/2436248/memorial-search?page=1#sr-99092702, http://goodoldboston.blogspot.com/2011/03/industrial-school-for-crippled-and.html, Reminiscences of the Boston Female Asylum, Annual Report of the Trustees of the State Lunatic Hospital at Worcester, October 1867, The First Leprosy Patients Arrive on Penikese Island, November 18 - 1905: First lepers arrive on Penikese Island, Hospital Cottages for Children (Baldwinville, Mass. It was renamed Monson State Hospital by St 1909, c 504, s 14, and Monson Developmental Center by St 1979, c 189. Employees of the state are paid better and have an array of benefits, Paquette said. While Johnny Panzera might be able to make the transition into the community, or the building in which he lives may be kept open, residents with major medical problems could face a crisis if moved, says Panzera. All rights reserved (About Us). Most of the varied and well-designed buildings on the campus date to the early twentieth century and reflect the important transition from almshouse/primary school to hospital for patients with epilepsy. The first name sounds harsh to the modern ear and later names sound too generic to be meaningful to the researcher. Narrow your results to famous, Non-Cemetery Burials, memorials with or without grave photos and more. When it began using physicians from regular medical schools in 1939, it became like other hospitals. This photo was not uploaded because this cemetery already has 20 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 5 photos to this cemetery. As I See It Bob Brodsky. The old mental hospital is spread over a massive piece of land in Monson MA. These records were sometimes updated with discharge information or death dates. She and her late husband, William J. Gauthier, took their child to the institution because, like many other families, their doctor told them to do so. Chapel Hill: UniVolume N. C. Press, 1966, pp. Press the Shop button to find the many bookstores which sell Amy's book. The graph is credited to the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health. Unit ID: 275061. > Periodicals. The policy there is to allow access after a period of time, generally 75 years, but this archives period is not set in the Massachusetts General Law (M.G.L.). See the Massachusetts State Archives full description of name changes here under the catalog entry for the Beacon Newsletter (1960-1973). "It's the most up-to-date facility in Massachusetts. From the description of Annual reports, 1898-1966. The variety of records holders and their rules is one of the reasons MGC is gathering in one place available information about research access to the records of state institutions. There was a problem getting your location. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. (62), Monson State Hospital (Mass). Today people with these challenges live in their local communities, often with support services. The hospital eventually came to be known as the Monson Developmental Center until its closure in 2013. It added the State Farm Hospital and took in prison inmates who were old, and state farm inmates who were mentally ill. Spotlight Team, "State Mental Hospitals Were Closed to Give People with Mental Illness Greater Access to Freedom but It Increased the Risk They'd Get No Care At All,"The Boston Globe,28 August 2016; posted on bostonglobe.com. From the description of Annual reports, 1898-1966. Sales page, For a look at conditions in the almshouse, see Lucile O'Connell, , In 1887, the workhouse became the Bridgewater State Farm. There are almost 1,600 employees at all the centers, and the state has promised the creation of job opportunities as down-sizing occurs, retraining, and assistance with finding jobs. That library is the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, Harvard University School of Medicine, 10 Shattuck Street, Boston, MA 02115. Volume 2 (nos. Several independent organizations perform education and reform advocacy around the issues for which people were institutionalized. Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. It added the State Farm Hospital and took in prison inmates who were old, and state farm inmates who were mentally ill. For access guidelines call the Massachusetts State Archives, 617-727-2816. It was for a period of time affiliated with Harvard Medical School. Although most state hospital cemeteries have markers that list only numbers, these cemeteries are exceptions as they include names and dates. 1907, Lakeville, Lakeville State Sanatorium, later called Lakeville Hospital. (Wright & Potter Printing Co., 1954) The records of the institution have been deposited at UMass/Boston; the finding aid is here. Photo reader Shanta Lee Facebook Email or phone Password Forgot account? In October 2007, the corporation severed relations with the Chicago developer who proposed a $200 million resort there. The following table contains links to Family History microfilms which have scanned images online. See also the Worcester Farm Colony in Grafton. They are happy with conditions at the state-run facilities, but Gov. Convict treatment case files, 1957-1961; Massachusetts State Archives, record group HS7.06/1294X. The almshouses represented the state's first venture into care of the poor, a role exclusively filled by the cities and towns up to that time. In addition to U.S. HIPAA regulations, Massachusetts General Law (M.G.L.) Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code. He doesn't know how the tax dollars are being spent. She is on the telephone to advocate for her brother's care almost every day and has filed a lawsuit to improve his care. Feb 27, 2017. It was renamed Monson State Hospital in 1909 and Monson Developmental Center in 1979. Mittimus files (copies of commitment warrants), 1840s 1940s; catalog link. Edward S. Harrison Edward S. Harrison 1940 - 2023 Monson Edward S. Harrison, 83, died at home surrounded by his loving family on February 12, 2023. Leaders of the Parents and Friends of Residents of the Monson center object to the idea, saying that the state has invested millions of dollars in the facility, which they now say is top notch. The state Department of Mental Retardation will work with residents, families and guardians in a "person-centered" process as the closures move forward, according to the state. It includes items that have been digitized as well as manuscript items. Abandoned Asylums of Massachusetts. This postcard was for sale by seller aboveall on Hippostcard.com in 2018. Find-A-Grave has Hillside West Cemetery here; and Hillside East Cemetery here. Try again. Today, we expect social services and public welfare to help families in need to stay in their own homes and lead normal lives. The hospital opened on September 6, 1898, housing 300 patients from 21 different counties. Note that those marked with a red asterisk are deemed restricted. Search above to list available cemeteries. Monson's history clearly embodies major trends in care of the poor, sick, and people with disabilities, with its period of significance extending from 1854 to 1940. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Monson State Hospital (Mass.) By the late 60's, Monson Developmental Center. Hospital Cottages for Children postcard, eBay.com, by rosepostcard, originally offered for sale in October 2018. "They don't see what the community can do for them. Monson State Hospital Palmer, Massachusetts Other names: State Almshouse at Monson (opened 1852) Massachusetts Hospital for Epileptics (name change, 1895) Monson State Developmental Center Postcard Images (One can be seen to the upper-right. Post Office Box 5393, Cochituate, MA 01778. The almshouses represented the state's first venture into care of the poor, a role previously filled exclusively by the cities and towns. I thought you might like to see a cemetery for New Hope Cemetery I found on Findagrave.com. public records under the Massachusetts Freedom of Information Act, although some provide for access to patient records. Date: 1949. The State Primary School, opened at the State Almshouse at Monson in 1866 and continuing after the almshouse's closing in 1872 until 1895, provided lodging, instruction, and . View 7 Old Reed Rd, Monson, MA 01057 property records for FREE including property ownership, deeds, mortgages, titles & sales history, current & historic tax assessments, legal, parcel & structure description, land use, zoning & more. "'Bloom' was a four-day installation by Anna Schuleit Haber at the Massachusetts Mental Health Center in Boston, the former Boston Psychopathic Hospital, for which twenty-eight thousand potted flowers in bloom were brought together from all around the country, as well as 5,600 square feet of live sod. The full content of Titicut Follies is now available on YouTube, just dont view it while you are in Massachusetts unless you are in a qualified group: doctors, lawyers, judges, health-care professionals, social workers, and students in these and related fields.. Some features of this site may not work without it. Sabin, Thomas D. The Penikese Hospital A Massachusetts Hospital for the Treatment of Hansen's Disease. New England Journal of Medicine 304 (1981): 1610-2. This is a boon to researchers. The hospital eventually came to be known as the Monson Developmental Center until its closure in 2013. At one time, Orzechowski and her husband, Edward W. Orzechowski, who are part of the Advocacy Network and the nationwide group, Voice of the Retarded, were totally "pro-community." *Deemed restricted. The email does not appear to be a valid email address. While the family felt the conditions at the Monson center were horrible when Donna Marie first arrived, with rats in the kitchen and patient beds end-to-end like a warehouse, the Gauthiers, along with the families of patients at Monson and other institutions such as the Belchertown State School, began a court battle in the 1970s that led to an infusion of cash to the facilities and the relocation of some patients to community-based homes. The Hospital's closing was announced in December 2008 as part of a cost-cutting move and a push by the state to relocate developmentally disabled residents into community-based group homes, intended to mirror home environments more closely. 1-3353--May 1, 1872-Oct. 7, 1887), second section for paupers in the care of the workhouse; Persons supported at the State Primary School, Monson, and at the State Workhouse, Bridgewater, 1872-1882; Bond books for transfer of cadavers to medical schools, 1893-1944; Photographs of facilities and activities, ca. As a society, Massachusetts has continually discussed the best approach to aid those in need. When it was closed, Carol went to a group home in Amherst, where she was abused. It was opened by Miss Hannah Chickering. It was closed in 2012, and the state is (as of 2017) soliciting bids for sale and reuse of the developed portions of the property. The hospital, which opened in 1858 under the name Northampton Lunatic Asylum, officially closed 135 years later in 1993. To request access to an item, use this Ask Countway Form, providing box and file information from the catalog entry. Accepting its first inmates in 1854, the almshouse closed in 1872. Construction of the hospital began in 1893 with the groundbreaking for McKinley Hall. 1830, Worcester, Worcester State Lunatic Hospital, later called Worcester State Hospital, Worcester State Hospital and Womens Lunatic Asylum, Worcester Recovery Center and Hospital. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. For example, the Massachusetts Association for Mental Health looks at. Staffers in privately run homes often earn only $10 an hour, with no insurance benefits. See the Massachusetts State Archives full description of name changes, The State Farm Hospital Cemetery is partially posted on Find-A-Grave, Titicut Follies is a 1967 movie of conditions in Bridgewater State Hospital. Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. In 1898 the state's Hospital for Epileptics opened on the grounds, using the old facilities and adding several more buildings. Volume 21 (1849-1902), last part,FHL DGS 7833946, For information on its closure in 2010, see Lee Hamel, . Twice since he has been out in the community, her brother, now aged 53 but whose mental age is that of a 3- or 4-year-old, almost died from abuse and neglect. The property, whose core has been in state control since 1854, historically housed a variety of facilities for providing services to the indigent or sick. Most of the bulidings are deserted. Record (CStRLIN)MASV90-A499 describes the series of which this subseries forms a . The leper (now called Hansens disease) hospital operated from 1905 to 1920, always under the same name. They could be transferred to Bridgewater under some conditions, such as a court order stating they had to serve at the Bridgewater State Workhouse or if they were considered demented. Bridgewater. According to the state, 900 people live in the commonwealth's institutions, and 32,000 receive community-based services. Persons supported at the State Primary School, Monson, and at the State Workhouse, Bridgewater, 1872-1882; catalog link. The Tragedy of Pekinese Island, The Boston Globe, posted 26 November 2005, the 100th anniversary of the transfer of patients to the island. Frances L. "Dustie" Gauthier, of East Longmeadow, fights back tears when she recalls taking her then-9-year-old daughter . Boston State Hospital - demolished; now mixed-use; Danvers State Hospital - demolished due to recurring unexplainable fires in the west wing; its original staging has been repurposed into the building Avalon Bay at Danvers; admittance is no longer allowed; property is owned by Avalon Condominium . ), National Archives and Records Administration, Commonwealth of Massachusetts State Archives. The leper (now called Hansens disease) hospital operated from 1905 to 1920, always under the same name. The originals are held in the Massachusetts State Archives. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. In 1854 the Commonwealth of Massachusetts acquired 175 acres (71ha) of land in northern Monson, on which it erected an almshouse to provide facilities for poor immigrants fleeing the Great Famine of Ireland. Frederick Wiseman had permission from the people (or guardians of the people) in the film. A (probably illegal) visit to Monson State Hospital in western MA. While in this facility, I felt I could still hear the screams of insanity echoing around . Monson State Hospital (Mass.) For those involved in the closure of the Belchertown State School, watching what is happening at Monson is difficult. Although he is unable to speak, he was once sent to a hospital in an ambulance without a staff member. In 1851, Massachusetts state commissioners began discussing plans to construct a third hospital for the insane to alleviate overcrowding at the asylums in Worcester, Taunton and Boston. Admission/discharge register, 1854-1877; catalog link. In 1955, it became M.C.I. The employees had been his family. With the advent of medications, patients became able to live within communities. See also Templeton Colony of Fernald School. Although the stones contain only numbers, names have been associated with several burials and some families have installed normal gravestones. In announcing the plan, the governor and the state Department of Health and Human Services touted "more community-living options for people with developmental disabilities." The last burial was for a woman who died 20 December 1920. From the outset, most patients at the hospital also suffered from related intellectual disabilities and mental illness. Massachusetts Hospital for Epileptics (Monson, Mass. In 1879 there was a total of 443 children, 99 of whom were females between the ages of 5 and 12. Volumes1 and 2 transcribed by Ann S. Lainhart with notations,UMass/Boston ebook. Operated 1905-1920, fire in 1910 destroyed records. 1904, Boston, Industrial School and Home for Crippled and Deformed Children, later called Massachusetts Hospital School; today the Cotting School in Lexington. Main Image Gallery: Monson Developmental Center, https://asylumprojects.org/index.php?title=Monson_Developmental_Center&oldid=41357, Massachusetts State Hospital for Epileptics. Two students in that classroom -- Arielle Anderson, 19, and Alexandria Verner . Kim Caisse interviewed Lynn Blanchard (one of the authors above) for the Worcester State University News, Several independent organizations perform education and reform advocacy around the issues for which people were institutionalized. Beginning in 1895, the physical plant of the institution was reconstructed as part of its conversion into the Massachusetts State Hospital for Epileptics. A. Prentice, State Lunatic Hospital, Annual Report of the Trustees of the State Lunatic Hospital at Worcester, October 1867 (Boston: Dutton and Wentworth, 1867), frontispiece. 1-12286; May 1, 1854-Dec. 31, 1862); Massachusetts State Archives; Volume 2 (nos. Still later the state built large almshouses and workhouses. If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. *, State Farm/MCI Bridgewater hospital admit/discharge registers, 1896-1966; Massachusetts State Archives record group HS9.11/2693X.*. These are often used to locate. This postcard was, Temporary Asylum for Discharged Female Prisoners, The Temporary Asylum for Discharged Female Prisoners was not a state agency or institution. The finding aid has links to the digitized items. In the early period, people facing challenges often remained at home under the care of family members. 1902, Gardner, State Colony for the Insane, later called North Central Correctional Institution. Annual Report of the Trustees of the Monson State Hospital for the Year Ending June 30, 1954 . The New Hope Cemetery is on the grounds of the former Monson State Hospital and contains the graves of a number of former patients of the facility. 1800, Boston, Boston Female Asylum, later called Boston Society for the Care of Girls, the Boston Childrens Aid Society, Boston Childrens Services, and the Home for Little Wanderers. According to police at the scene, a 17-year-old sustained a non-life-threatening . Search for an exact birth/death year or select a range, before or after. "I've had to fight very hard to get my brother with the agency he is with, and even then there are problems," she said. Find-A-Grave has Hillside West Cemetery. Its this story that has so much meaning when we share it with our family. Now 48, she is profoundly retarded and cannot speak. In 1955, it became M.C.I. The implementation of the best ideas falls short of the intentions. "For myself, I feel these people better get on the stick and start demanding that the DMR (state Department of Mental Retardation) show them the community-based programs that will take care of their loved ones," said Paquette.