In the shadow of Fairview: full documentary | Oregon Experience
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- čas přidán 10. 12. 2020
- Fairview Training Center was Oregon’s primary institution for people with developmental disabilities. Until its closure in 2000, it housed over 10,000 residents. For some residents, it was the only home they ever knew. For others, it was a prison.
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My sister was born in 1978 with a severe form of muscular dystrophy.
Doctors told my mom it would be best for everyone if she were institutionalized.
My mom refused, took her home, and did her best to raise a confident and adept child.
Though wheelchair-bound and unable to use her arms or legs, my sister went on study at Stanford University.
By age 27 she had earned 2 bachelors degrees, 2 masters degrees, and a PhD.
She is now a tenured professor, mother, published author, painter, and has travelled the world.
I am in tears watching this. My wife and I live in Oregon and my wife is now developmentally disabled an accident she had 10 years ago. I love her with all of my heart and would never ever ever consider sending her anywhere. It's unbelievable to me. I feel so bad for these folks.
It is all Lies, this hospital was Not a Snake Pit, these Content Creaters LIE and MAKE MONEY by Lying. Like VICE they create a way to Make More Clicks, Money Grubbers Lie about State Hospitals. God Damn Liars. Ed Gein was in Winnebago State Hospital when I was there Ed Gein was transferred to Dodge Correctional Institution, formerly Central State Hospital for the Insane, in Waupun, This "documentary" is wrong. ...Central State Hospital for the Criminally Insane " < Ed was criminally insane, Marshall's Docs is just wrong. Remember I Was There when he was dropped off in Waupun as a Patient going back to Racine Wisconsin I was intered my my self not on a police committment
How fortunate your wife is to have a partner who is living the words they said the day they got married: “In sickness and in health.” Massive respect, sir.
Yeah it’s tough when it happens to you or the ones you love. If anyone cares to see how this Fairview place looks up close and personal my girlfriend and I just filmed a video of this place and the ruins left behind. It’s live on my channel now.
❤
Sending much love to the former residents and people in similar situations. You are important and deserve to be loved.
My mom worked at Fairview for a couple years in the mid 70's. I just remembered how much it distressed her. Now I see why. She talked about how they would just put them all in a gymnasium during the day with just a couple of people to watch them. Many of whom had helmets on. She eventually quit a day she got bit in the arm by a male client. Took a chunk out of her upper arm. One of my very good friends from high school worked there in the 90s. Eventually she took some on at home at foster children. After many years of that and when the group home began she now runs several group homes and is the staff director of several group homes. It takes a special person to do that kind of work. She is one of them. I grew up only 12 miles away. I can remember people calling it Shangri-la...
I agree, it does take a special person to look after these extra special people.
Hearing the statement ''It would be better if you were never born'' is about the most vile thing I have ever heard. How can anyone adopt a world view like that? There isn't even any logic to it unless you are as cold as ice and see these people as baggage we need to dispose of. I sometimes can't believe I am living in a world like this. People with disability need to come first because they need our support and love. It should be instinctual to care for our fellow human beings.
It still happens n ppl still do very evil things we're just often unheard silenced n dismissed
Not staffing adequately for the care is a HUGE reason these horrible abuses were thought of and committed.
They were referring to a time when eugenics regarding this population was used. I think you're on target that they're seen as inanimate like a suitcase incapable of human feelings and thought.
Silencing of the disabled still happens ppl r deluded to think it doesn't
@@eileenwright5921 I have lived in so-called disabled/mentally disabled housing. Several room & board had inadequate meals. Often filthy bathrooms. One incontinent woman's room smelled of urine. The last shared apartment through HUD & county mental health I was beaten by my roommate (known to have a violent temper). I have been coping for nine years with post concussive syndrome since. My reading, spelling, logical order, speaking, focusing have all been impacted. I was diagnosed, but never given therapy. I developed my own plan being a very high functioning person with severe depression & PTSD. The first was to use a repetitive known longterm activity. I grew up playing lots of solataire my mother taught me. I chose solitaire as my first therapy. Amazingly it worked. I added wordsearch later. I need to add reading outloud. This must be a form of self advocating. In utopia I would've had professional guidances.
This roommate, was known by staff, to repeatedly had been manipulative and abusive towards me. I will never live in these settings again. I would prefer to be homeless. It's safer. I'm not homeless now as I live with a longtime friend. It's not perfect, but it's safer.
I’m so blessed that my parent took my eldest brother home who was born in 1948 and passed away in 1968, I was 5 years old I remember Eddy until this day, and I miss him so much, Eddy you were so loved my your entire family ♥️🇨🇦🌏
Thank God for parent advocates. My son has asp. autism. I'm glad we didnt have him back then. We LOVE him and he makes life joyful. He is 19 now and has always been a sweetheart, loves us, we love him. We will do all we can to make sure he has a happy life. I would never let this happen to him. EVER!
The early days of Fairview were pretty bad. But when I worked there ‘87-98’ the patients were very well cared for. I was a nurse in 3 intensive care cottages and the infirmary.
Many of my patients died within days or weeks after being moved to group homes from Fairview after it closed.
I too am glad that my three children who have autism were born in the 21st century rather than back then. I would be heartbroken putting my kids in a place like that. To grow up unloved is a fate worse than death.
That’s what Love is about..We love and hold our children near our heart and keep them in our lives..Even when they need extra attention. Much love to you and the struggles you face head-on ❤
@@susanmarshall9118Autism is a form of schizophrenia (considered a such in the rest of the World outside the PC America). It is hereditary and passed on from generation to generation. Nothing to be proud of having autistic children. Means you are being irresponsible and selfish. Nowhere in the civilized wold they have such a spike of autism as in America. Guess why? Because the institutions are still functioning and patients are not procreating. I personally have not seen any “horrors” in this film, just an insinuation in the commentary. Never mind the footage was filmed as the medical science was progressing. Whatever problems existed could have been fixed with more funding ( more qualified staff) and better training, was instead “fixed” by turning the whole country into an open air mental asylum. Congrats America, the whole world is cheering))
I work for “NW Community Alliance” and to be completely honest, I consider this one of the best and influential jobs I’ve ever had. It doesn’t feel like Job, it’s getting the opportunity to learn about such beautiful people, and how I can do my part in awareness, advocacy, and being a voice for those who aren’t heard. I LOVE LOVE LOVE IT🙌🏽
Was just going to bash the institution until I read your comment. I digress. Just my knee jerk reaction to most any institution. Glad to see someone gained something of worth.
I Believe They Have a Special Gift 🥰🧡🇨🇦
Lmao ok
11
@@teresaclements6067 a
I worked for two years at a school for mentally disabled adults (that was the politically-correct term back then). I can say with 100 percent honesty that it was a wonderful place. It was not residential, rather a day school. The students, ranging in age from 19 to 71, were taught music, hygiene, some kitchen skills and reading, writing, etc., according to their capabilities. We had field trips to zoos, parks, movies, restaurants. It was a Christian-staffed school, and the students were treated, always, with love, respect and patience. My time there honestly changed my life.
I have worked with the developmentally disabled for many years. I totally agree that any bad reputations that have arisen in state facilities are due to lack of knowledge and/or other issues related to the staff and/or funding not the environment. Any environment is what the staff and funding make of it.
@@lynnjudd9036 The institutions were lock-ups for efficiency.
Thank you for posting this. Disability rights is something I’m very passionate about as a person that would’ve been institutionalized if I had been born just a few decades earlier. We still have a lot of work to do but I hope that people learning about our history will help them understand that.
I too am in your camp. Be well.
If I’d been born earlier, and if my family was any less supportive, I’d probably be institutionalized, too. I love that the conversation about mental disabilities and neurodivergency is becoming such a big focus in healthcare and social change these days.
@@ladyjane9980 you
Yes there I much work to do...
During the pandemic Canadians were given $2,000 every two weeks ( $4,000 a month )
We were told this is the poverty line, that this is what a single adult needs to pay rent ect...
What a slap in the face!!!
The disabled have been living on 1/3rd or less than this for some 30 plus years with little more than a 50$ raise during covid...
They are told to find housing that cost $375 dollars, and anything more comes out of your living expenses...it's impossible to find housing at this cost, most rooms for rent here cost more than the entire monthly allowance.
IF $4,000 a month is the poverty line, why not bring the disabled up to the poverty line instead of forcing them to starve or eat food bank food to survive...
It's bloody shameful how little we care for them...
Then magically at 65 they are forced onto a pension, $700-$800 - half of what they used to get, it's now a taxable income, they must pay for medical where on disability it was 100% covered...now they have a $2,000 co-pay before they receive any discount...it's criminal how Canada treats its disabled
I began my social service career in 1994 working with adults who were transitioning out of Fairview into group homes. The stories I've heard from those who can talk are horrific. The stories from those who can't talk are even worse. You can see it in their behavior. Shoveling food in their mouths so fast before someone could take it away. The crying, the violence towards themselves and others. Some group homes are just as bad as Fairview. The residents go without and depend on food stamps while someone at the top takes all of their money, cared for by staff who are inexperienced and overworked, not to mention underpaid. Those jobs are minimum wage. A handful of group homes are great. The residents know their rights, they have plenty of money, burial plans, real jobs, friends and even romantic relationships. They go on trips, and have family and caring staff. Who still make minimum wage. I worked for a great company for 13 years and still have relationships with many of my former residents. My four children grew up with them. We always had someone home with us on holidays.
People's lives should not be someone else's job.
That is why it is so important for every state to build facilities, that will have mentally ill patients, the special care they need. Love and kindness is very important! Some live on the streets now.😞
I have worked for GreenPharms and I’m just amazed how little Care they get how these institutions these hoops that have them in group homes to make money off of them they give them what little they can and most families do not ever come to see them and if they do is for 15 minutes
Unfortunately, we can’t get the state,& government, to fix this problem they created.
I appreciate your comments on how it is still rough. Things have only been shifted but not really changed.
I work with developmentally disabled individuals who grew up in Canadian institutions and it breaks my heart the stories I have heard of things they endured.
The torture perpetrated on people with mental illness and developmental disabilities is a dark and shameful chapter in history. Heartbreaking.
Omg as a teacher for 34 years working with children with all kinds of disabilities, down syndrome, autistic , some children with rare genetic disorders .This break my heart that they had to live like this.Thank God we have come along way and we still have a long way to go. Hopefully they have found peace where ever they are.
It was bad for to many years. Lack of staffing and the kinds training employees received was some of the problems. When more went into group homes or apartments the ones still in care at Fairview had total improvements. When you have 40 on a cottage vs 120 to 140 and more staff. It makes a difference. The kind of care was changing to giving a choice. The Federal still wanted teeth brushed so many minutes after dinner . Choices less restraints, position and adaptions of environment. Less noise and more. Change of over medication, and medication trials instead of this only was making a great disti. Their are some that didn't that well to the change and others that thrived. I know that 3 were lost in one month because new staff at the new home did not know how to care for that individual. I thought the move to apartments, to homes is great. But there is still a need for places like Fairview. It's to bad they couldn't have changed the system that had some that stays on grounds and had community people visits for medical or therapy or work or recreational or school.Training of staff of care assistant for the capable.
Bless you for your service to others. 🌟
I'm so incredibly thankful for living in this day and age and not 150 years ago.
I'm autistic, have gad, chronic depression, chronic ptsd and I also have a masters in history and one in education.
I'd never have had that chance before
I have epilepsy and (with medication, and this medication wasn't a thing back then) I live a normal life. I have a job, a child, a husband. I also have bipolar disorder and panic attacks. There's no chance I wouldn't have ended up in a place like this if I had been born back then. I'm grateful I was born when I was.
I cant imagine how heartbroken these kids were being left in an institution. So sad.
Yeah and I imagine it must be even harder to not understand why you can't be with your beloved family anymore. Makes me so sad how parents where encouraged to abandon their children, every child no matter of disability deserves to live with their own family (if bioligical parents don't want the child they should have been adopted).
@@teijaflink2226 I don't think you know what it's actually like. Maybe ask someone who does.
I don’t understand why did their parents put them in this place? It makes me so sad watching these poor kids 😭😭😭
@@wowso4 because their doctors told them to.
I work as a DSP, with adults who experience IDD and it's hard for adults to adjust to living without their parents I can't imagine for small children who are still in their developmental years, who need that attachment and bonding🥺
As someone who works with people of special needs, this video needs to Watched be shared. Respect to them all. Sad times
ok thanks on the picture p
you are
opening your account for the day you are ready for
The cost is still huge. It is just that we don't hear as much about it. Group homes are expensive as are nursing homes. A lot of former Fairview residents ended up on the street. There are abusive situations in those places as well because there are always bad people everywhere.
And if they end up on the streets, there is a decent chance they'll end up in jail or worse.
Some of the private homes secule their residents from visitors and the public. Still some people in public do not think they should be seen or in their neighbor. Have you heard why spend time on them?. I have.
We move forward then backwards.. example the renaming a support animal permit after the psychiatrists field.
The with draw of funds made less staffing, quality of staffing, services for the people, reduced and held pay raises down.
Government could support such homes as Fairview very comfortably if they would stop senting billions to other country's, funding trips to the moon that cost billions and other wasteful spending.
EVERYONE DESERVE TO BE TREATED WITH RESPECT AND THOSE WHO HAVE MENTAL DISABILITES NEED TO BE TREATED RESPECT AND THEY ALSO HAVE FEELINGS THEY WANT LOVE LIKE EVERYONE
We shouldn't build such a building or repeat this action we should just kill them it would be better for them plus who cares
They don't talk about other issues. Some clients went home for visiting and came back pregnant. The understaffing, over crowding was just one of the major problems.
I wouldn't be surprised if some were sent back after visiting, and ended up pregnant too.
"I thought it was going to be really cool, but it wasn't". That was a shot in the heart. God bless them all.
As a social worker I assisted developmentally disabled adults in the community. Some had small (2 to 3) group homes, others lived in what Maine calls Shared Living, where they live with a family or couple who is paid to look after them. But there are major funding issues and there is now a long wait list for 18 to 21 year olds to get the funding to have some sort of supported living. Meanwhile they are living with aging parents/relatives who can struggle with difficult, sometimes aggressive behaviors on their own. Big institutions or small homes don't make a difference, it is having enough quality staff that are paid well that will make a change.
I'm from Michigan and my mom worked in an Adult Foster Care Home which was quite large and very old. By the late 90's, the state cut funding so badly they were forced to close. Most of those residents ended up in the smaller group home settings which in turn was not a good outcome...these "group homes" gave them less supervision and many of them just turned to alcohol or drugs and I'd see some of my moms former residents around the area over the years and you could see their complete decline on all levels.
I agree
I worked at Fairview as a nurse. It’s true they didn’t pay very well...but that didn’t change how I cared for my patients.
Also for the record this video is talking about stuff that happened well before I was employed. When It closed many of the patients that moved out died within days or weeks.
Back in the 80's, after Geraldo did an expose, abour some incidents of abuse in some facilities (institutions) is when they suddenly decided they were all bad, closed them all down, placed patients in private homes w/ ppl "paid to care for them" but not trained, nor were their homes always adequate to manage their issues. Well...u can imagine how well that went. Rampant abuse & neglect. Shocker right?? Some were placed in small houses w/ other disabled ppl sharing the house, someone checked on them frequently. Some placed in their own apartments & checked on.
All of this had even LESS oversight & accountability than the "bad institutions" they tore down. They had stable facilities specifically built & staffed for ppl w/ their needs. Granted there was room for improvement...back when a lot of these incidents happened, psychiatric treatment was a BRAND NEW FIELD. Even ppl w/ diseases like epilepsy, they didn't know what it was, what caused it, how to treat it. Some epileptics have HUNDREDS of seizures a day...which nowadays we can manage, treat, reduce...but back then??These institutions were some of the first of their kind. They were learning & developing as they went, finding new & better ways to handle illness/disabilities, discovering new treatments.
Ppl really just have no idea all that goes into this area.
I think a lot of times the institutions were the better choice. Overall, most fared better than being scattered all over w/ minimal management/care.
@@sdelony Actually, Geraldo's expose of Willowbrook and other places like it were in the 1970's.
And left-wingers blame it on Ronald Reagan.
I have a congenital disability, mild learning disability, and alot of issues with mental illness. I shudder to think what would have happen to me had I been born even 10 or 15 years previous.
Naw. I had all that and they just stuck me in Special Ed and let my classmates rip me apart emotionally.
My heart goes out to the people who suffered so much..
People are suffering NOW. Nothing has changed.
My beloved uncle with Down's Syndrome lived there for years. Luckily, he had a vast extended family who checked on him and his well being almost weekly. We could drop in for a spontaneous visit whenever we wanted. He spent a lot of time with his family who lived very close, and, when it was time to go back to Fairview, he always seemed peaceful and happy with it. He had a job there, and he lived a long life. He passed away of natural causes at 74 years old. Our uncle could not lie, and we often asked him specific questions about his safety. He always indicated he really liked it there. We never got a negative answer from him. The staff loved him, and he had a certain amount of status because of his personality, and willingness to contribute to the community. He was a high-functioning person who grew up with 21 siblings on a family farm. He passed away before Fairview began to deteriorate. I daresay that Fairview was a far sight better than the Portland streets to which mentally handicapped persons are relegated these days in more "modern" times.
Your poor uncle had no choice. It would habe been nice to have a choice.
I really appreciate your comment. I was a nurse there from ‘87-‘98. This video is talking about stuff that happened decades before it closed.
The patients got very good care when I was there.
@@GilaMonster971 Happy to hear that. It takes good hearted, qualified people to work in such an institution.
In the 1990's, my mom worked at an Adult Foster Care home here in Michigan which was actually quite large compared to most. The majority of those my mom cared for back then at this facility were folks that more than likely grew up in these same institutions seen in this video. I recall my mom talking about those who lived there that had no reason at all for ever living in that type of environment other than the fact they just got caught up in the system and had nowhere else to go at that point. The facility my mom worked at was well maintained and those folks were very well cared for. The community around it also got to know the residents who would regularly go for walks to the store etc. I even recall a few residents giving my mom gifts to give to me and these folks didn't even know me but knew she had a young son at home.
Then the lovely government went a step further and tossed salt into these residents wounds from years of being shuffled around by completely cutting funding to these private operators. This in turn caused Medicare/Medicaid payments to stop which then caused the whole facility to close putting these residents either onto the streets or into smaller group homes which were not as well supervised so this caused many of these folks to just spiral downwards on far too many levels where they end up on the sex offender list, on drugs and alcohol, in prison etc.
Great documentary! Its been a long time since I have felt such overwhelming mixed emotions from angry, disgusted,sad, in disbelief, to tears of awe , happy, and even proud of these true heros of inspiration!!
This is so hard to watch,but I am so glad these changes were made.My Granddaughter is mentally challenged.She will stay with us as long as we live.
I’m glad she gets lots of love, and attention she needs! More parents need to care about their children, just because they have a mental illness, doesn’t mean they don’t deserve love, and special care!🙂
My mom was badly abused by her family, and one time it broke my heart she said she felt safe when she was at an orphanage cause she wouldn’t be sexually abused anymore. She was probably in elementary grade age. That comment broke me. To me orphanage sounds like one of the worse places you could be, but to her there were worse places at the hands of her family
My patients have often felt safer with us at the hospital for similar reasons.
Thank you for uploading this. I am a support worker for DD folks, and more people need to know about this aspect of Oregon’s history.
One of my current clients was actually a resident of Fairview in the 80’s and 90’s
Same here! All three of my clients have sever PTSD from that place! Also did you know they’re building APARTMENTS on top of that land??? Jeez!!
@@iriambest7754 I was a nurse there for 7 years. Many of my patients died within days or weeks after being moved to group homes. This video is very biased.
I grew up in Salem. It’s interesting to see how hard of a fight people with disabilities had and still have to be free and to be thought of as humans. I know some of the people on this documentary.
Using fancy names like' developmentally disabled' doesn't doesn't change the fact that theses individuals are mental defectives ,they will always be a burden, either on their unfortunate families or the institution they are housed in.
@@christinefilas9392 I hope you never develop dementia or alzheimer's disease, or experience a stroke so you become a "burden" on your family or have to live out the remainder of your life in a nursing home.
Well unfortunately you can't just assume everyone who's mentally I'll is a good person and won't harm you. That's ridiculous and ignorant to sit around twiddling your thumbs waiting to find out. 2 women were murdered very recently, one in NYC and one in California, and both men were mentally ill. Their cases aren't unique. I'm cautious of everyone but especially those who seen mentally Ill
@@CrustyUgg could you please add "And Donald Trump's is even smaller" to your user name? Would be hilarious.
@@christinefilas9392 Depends on how they are cared for from birth. Just like everyone else, and if they become dangerous. Unfortunate, but true. You speak too general and will stir controversy. Is the world and people around you perfect?
Even as a long standing nurse who underarm and loves history it makes me tear up watching these documentaries.
Thanks for posting
Where are the mentally ill today. are they in prison with the Murderers or Criminally insane? how much better is that.
I’m a nurse that worked in the intensive care wards in Fairview. The care was excellent in my 11years there.
I ran the ventilator unit there for 3 years. Many of my patients died after being moved to group homes.
This was wonderful and sad at the same time. My cousin Richard was institutionalized for Down syndrome in the late 1960’s. He passed away there a few months later.
God bless all those people. There's so much pain and sadness in this world and in these places. I'm scared of what's going to happen to me.
Please pray for me. God bless you.
I don't know your story Russell Maxwell but I don't need to. Prayers will be prayed on your behalf. God bless you, my friend.
Russell, dear friend, you’re definitely in my prayers. Please never give up....we all love you
For some of these children I think it was used as really horrible foster home.
This program had me in tears it was very well done
As a nurse, I took care of many of the children you see in the beginning of this film at Eastern Oregon Training Center in Pendleton.
Glad reading the comments and seeing how many wonderful people are in the world. Who truly care about others!! I work at an adult foster home for adults working on their mental health… They are like family and we have such a nice happy home. I am going to school to be a social worker so I can better help my community by empowering people. Again, caring people really warm my heart!!
I’m glad Fairview was closed down. It makes sense for more personalized care in homelike environments than a big scary institution. I know lots of abuse still happens… I hope we can put better checks and balances in place…. And yes increase pay for caregivers so that good people can afford to stay in these caring positions!
Kudos needs to be given to those who brought Special Education up to a new progressive level. These new advocates are educated unlike the generations before them
God bless them all! Such strength and self empowerment is just amazing. Lots of peace, love, happiness and hugs from this little cherry. Thank you so much for posting the video. Everyone take care, take it easy and be safe
No one is better than another ... it brought tears to my heart too 💔
My father spent time at the state hospital in Salem in the early 70s. It was a voluntary placement. I remember visiting him and walking through the underground tunnels that still had chains on the walls where patients would be attached and left.
By the early 70s, things had vastly improved. It helped my dad really turn his life around.
Just found out my great Aunt Irene died there in 1944. It's heartbreaking what happened at this hospital.
I have MS and although I'm still able to live on my own, eventually I might not be able to. I'm glad things have changed a lot but we all know there is still abuse happening in nursing homes and such. I will fight as long as I possibly can to remain independent and stay out of evil people's hands.
Right we hope? But many other just for being mentally ill i herd are in prison along with muderers criminal of the worse kind. Seems worse or just as bad as the history. Pleasant days ahead of you though.
I agree. Stay as strong as you can for as long as you can.
I'm at the point that I am going to need help and it's awful. I live alone and it's very hard. I'm frankly scared.
It's hard to imagine this place was open until 2000
It isn't that long ago that Epileptics were considered possessed by the devil or bad entities. They suffered many unjust procedures ,trepanning for example. Let us be thankful they and other people with brain issues are treated better today,a better understanding.
FOR A WHILE WE HAD A PROGRAMME CALLED MICASSA MEDICAID COMMUNITY ALTERNATIVE SUPPORTS SERVICES ACT THAT PROGRAMME IS STILL GOING STRONG THE WORD ATTENDANT GOT TOSSED OUT IT REMINDED MANY OF US OF KEYS ON THE BELT.
That’s so sad. That is an incorrect translation because the verse meant “moonstruck” and not epileptic.
@@thartwig26 There was no distinction made at the time between a "lunatic" and an epileptic.
@@robokill387 when? Again you are talking about ancient history. Like back during the Salem witch trials 🤣
I have epilepsy, bipolar and panic attacks, all controlled by medication. If id been born a couple decades before I was there's no chance I wouldn't have ended up in one of these places.
I really appreciate OPB doing this great documentary, very interesting. I lived in Salem, Oregon about 5 years and was always so intrigued by all the history there. I often bicycled around or thru downtown to my office at S. Commercial & Madrona. A friend of mine lived a few blocks from the Capital bldg & we used to walk or bike along State Street right by the former hospital that was the setting for the movie, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest filmed there in the 70's. Those old bldgs were still in use by the state for medical care, prison services, laundry, etc. I remember the stories about prisoners escaping thru the underground tunnel system that connected to the former State Mens Prison across the road (by then it had become the State Womens Prison). Anyway, in 1994-98, I worked in South Salem off Commercial a few miles north of the old Fairview complex & I believe by then it had been almost completely shut down. A few years later in about 2005 I visited my friends in that S. Salem area & the Fairview entrance roads were closed off but think the state still owned the land & perimeter area had nice multi-use trails. Great history video by OPB!
unfortunately, the same levels of general disrespect, physical, and verbal abuse, happens very common in so called ''community services'' and group homes, i know, i seen plenty, i worked for 20 years in adult social services, in 3 different states, and i saw and frequently reported this n that care worker mistreating clients, it is more common than youd think. the big institutions are not common any more but the same mind set and ill- treatment of these people is sadly still a major issue. - also its not uncommon for parents and guardians to over step bounds ( being extremely controlling, nor presuming competence , limiting and hindering them, not allowing them to grow and have experiences so they can have even the slightest chance of growing and learning. --- the guardians and they get away with it, because '' thats their guardian'' when the advocates are supposed to be stepping in and making sure the parents / guardian is not further limiting them, which they often do.
Ive seen stuff ranging anywhere from staff farting in the face of patients, taking a shit in their food and outright random beatings. Ive even seen staff make female patients take all their clothes off and then stand naked, then be told to put their clothes back on.
Literally heard of parents misusing IEPs to prevent their children from learning sex ed and LGBT issues for purely religious reasons.
another unfortunate reality is even the clients who can talk, most people DO NOT listen to them and take them seriously or hold their words with ayn real weight, i know, i saw this constantly in the community based services, and voc rehab service groups, most of the workers do not take what a client says all that seriously, they often out right dont believe them, and the ones who cannot talk, they DO communicate , but through other means like: sounds, gestures, signs, behaviors, , people do not tune in, pay attention and listen to what they are trying to tell.
That's so incredibly disrespectful to not listen to then, they are people and deserve to be believed and listened to. And even if something isn't true it should be investigated and specially if someone is or risks getting hurt.
Same as Rezadenchel Schools 🤬🧡🇨🇦
@@cathymorrison4953 residential schools
I worked in a state institution many years ago, and then in various group homes over the years. May God bless all the residents. God bless Amanda and her mother. The govt did not plan the big deinstitutionalization very well. Having seen both sides I'm all for the group homes ( and there have been problems in them, too) and there are still individuals with such highly specialized needs that they require more of a hospital type setting. Overall, I'm glad the institutions closed.
I went to School & High School in Oregon in the 70's and graduated in the early 80's and back then a lot of High Schoolers in Oregon got the chance to go on a Field Trip to this exact institution if you took Psychology type Classes in High School and I got to go. I will never forget it either. I remember feeling very sorry for all of them not because of their disability, but because they had to live there. There was a young man who wore suspenders and all he wanted to do is follow us around and watch us while we were given a tour through the place. You could tell that he was just curious with all of us because that was probably one of the only times that he seen other people besides the ones in the institution with him. It just breaks my heart to see all them in this video, especially the ones with Down Syndrome.
My mother worked there years ago for a short time. She had to quit because it made her so depressed. Us kids would spend time out there. This is so sad.
My grandmother worked there for a a long time... I remember she used to bring home one very pretty blonde woman with down syndrome for the weekends... can't remember her name but she was the sweetest thing... I taught her how to make necklaces out of dandelions... I swear my entire neighborhood ran out of weeds in a month lol... my grandma was very protective of her... I think she stayed because leaving these girls to their fate was unthinkable
It's wonderful that Oregon, as a state, is willing to be open about these atrocities.
Every state has it's nightmare stories, but you don't hear about it.
I can attest to the fact that care homes in the county I used to live in in Oregon are well managed and are clean. It's important that the disabled people who live in them are happy. I've seen a lot of happy people with mental conditions living in these homes.
The money spent is well worth it!
Other states need to follow Oregon's lead.
Thank you for sharing this video. 👍
Thank you for the great documentary!
Poor children with disabilities, very unfortunate. You cannot put a price on your health and wellbeing
I worked in group homes in Eugene and Portland from the early 90s into the 2010s. Took care of many folks from both OSH and Fairview. Saw how they mostly deteriorated physically. Heard about their abuse, and sometimes, heard nothing because they were abandoned long ago, and so no paperwork, no history. I also worked with people OSH refused to care for.
Residential Group Homes were the late, late remedy for the sickness of the asylums. That eugenics crap is horrible.
I'm glad I did all that work as I ended up having a special- needs kid. ❤️
OMG how this went on and continued, not just there but all over the world, breaks my heart knowing how they were treated and how they suffered, I worked with people with special needs and they are like you and I but just needed a little extra care. Hopefully things have improved over the years, couldn't be any worse. What an eye opener.
Still goes on now…. Check out some of the orphanages throughout Europe … we’re a horrible race that don’t look after our own.
After working for years with adults with DD in Oregon, I think I can safely say that every client I've worked with who resided at Fairview in the 70's and 80's was sexually abused. Horrible place. I'm so glad they finally got it shut down.
I used to volunteer there in the school when I was 15 yrs old. I felt so horrible for these kids and adults! 😢❤
I lived in Salem, Fairview was part of our community everyone heard of it I even visited several times, I had no idea of abuse or that people didn't want to be there ,it was the 1960s. I'm very sad to know this.
More power to the peoples have a cared & loved to the peoples in disabilities GODBLESS
That made absolutely no sense.??
“We ask for change, we demand change!” God bless them for helping people who can barely speak up for themselves. It really breaks my heart to see children in conditions like this. To take advantage of anyone who is vulnerable is weak and absolutely disgusting. It’s sad to see the way others viewed people with disabilities and to see how they were treated. I’m glad that changes were made.
This hurts deep down the suffering these human being's went through is beyond upsetting . These institutions talked in code, treatment ment torture. The people right up to the 20th century taught that it was OK for this deprivation to be happening right under their noses. What was their belief system of the middle and upper classes about the poor, and the way they were to be treated. Dog's maybe . Humanity wasn't one of the virtues that was used in these place's or in the world then, just evil . ☘️😔
Many, many ppl lived better lives, w/ proper care/management, some even able to move on to independent, semi-independent lives. They require HIGHLY specialized care/management, HIGHLY modified methods of basic education, self care, skills training, learning coping skills etc.
These institutions were far better than what we have happening now. And it costs FAR more now than it did w/ institutions, which is ironic, as funding was a key point in keeping them open.
I began working in 1974 with people who had developmental disabilities or delays. And gosh, I hope I'm using an ok term because terms have changed so much since then. Most people came from large group homes and nursing homes, where unfortunately some people had been placed. I really enjoyed my work. My then husband was the director of a work activity center these people attended. He went to the very first People First Convention at Otter Rock, but we couldn't afford for me to also go. I did attend the 2nd one though and it was incredible. And I attended every convention thereafter for many years. No idea the group had spread to other states or internationally. I went to work in different group homes until 1993 when I became a nurse. I only left the field because the pay was simply not a sustainable living wage. That was the truth from 1974 onward, sad to say. I simply had to have a job that allowed me to replace items in my life that were breaking and I needed good benefits. There's a missing piece of this story that's just not addressed.
In '81 I began working at a facility that was funded by the federal government and had similar regulations as Fairview did. These included nurses, way better staffing than Fairview, PT, OT, speech therapy, training program s, Recreation Director ( my job) daytime work for our residents, community schools etc and etc. There were several places similarly funded in the same manner in Oregon. And they were considered exemplary places for Fairview to place their residents. Parents also chose these types of facilities. A group of parents also had started similarly funded place west of Salem, and there were other places in Oregon with the same funding and requirements as Fairview. These types of facilities had more medical care and were wheelchair accessible, unlike most group homes at that time. We'd also good federal reviews. Around '87 we got a terrible review. And so did every other facility that funded by the Federal government. We were told we abusive to our residents, which was not true. Other accusations were not true either. We were cited and going to lose our funding, so everyone scrambled to change the things we could. But I was in contact with those other facilities and I nothing any of them did seemed to fix the problems with their reviews either. I saw the writing on the wall. Basically the government did not want to pay for this level of care any longer. It would have so much more helpful if this intent had just been stated at the beginning instead of demoralizing all the staff working in these places. The owner and the director of my facility finally just told the review team that they could NOT and WOULD NOT keep trying to comply with further requests. The review team was aghast. Hadn't encountered this before. Suddenly they were responsible for finding new living places for 29 people!
And so 6 new 5 bedroom houses had to be built by the State. And it took a year and a half. Our staff was dedicated to our residents. Some made corporations and bid for the homes. Some of us stayed on working until a group homes was ready and went with our people to work there. My group was the last to leave, these were the most medically fragile of our residents. I and about 5 of us went to work in that group home in Dec 1987. I don't know how the other facilities handled things, but I do know they were all closed within a couple of years . There were a few of our residents who moved away from our core group of workers and providers. And I don't know how they fared, except for a couple of people. 3 ended up in nursing homes, one died there within a year and another ended up being physically abused. Another who was very medically stable and very verbal had some of her long time medicines changed. She developed chronic seizures, depression, and bed sores which required skin grafts. She'd never had bed sores before. Ever!. The folks who were placed where staff who knew them them did fine. And I think they were much happier in the 5 bed group homes. Some even moved into their own apartments with the support person of their choice.
We all knew about the man who died of dehydration after his group home placement and appalled.
So, that's my piece of the de-funding picture that nobody really seems to know about. Because I married a man who'd had a career at Fairview, and I became close to a teacher from there and a nurse who'd worked there I know quite a bit of the earlier history. I also knew and recognized some of the people who were interviewed in this documentary. Very interesting.
Heart breaking, poor kids ❤️🩹
God bless Amanda and her birth mother.
I took care of some of the people who were released from Fairview and placed in group homes at the beginning of the 2000’s. Some of the things I read in these peoples files were horrific. Most of them had endured a lifetime of horror, abuse and neglect.
NOT trying to take away from any of the residents of Fairview but many of those that they talked with and were allowed to speak out were far more eloquent and intelligent than some of this nation's leaders are today. Fairview was a tragedy that should never have been allowed to happen. Hiring convicted sexual predators should have been a felony crime punishable by life with no parole!
My sister lived & died there. R.I.P. Kathleen "Kathy" Kellum
i'm so sorry. my aunt was in a good private insttution for all her adult life. she was happy there. my sisters checked on her often. i hope your sister was happy there.
@@Doreenweix no she actually regressed, (went backwards) before she was placed there she could walk & talk. Just 6 short months she started regressing in a lot of her skills. She even would sing a few songs. For a while.
@@chriskellum1605 that's a hard thing. a child should be happy and playful, going to school, having friends. to lose a child-i can't think of anything worse. my aunt outlive all her family-that's why my sister's watched over her. she was happy. she watered the plants at mcdonald's and had makeup to fool around. it was a good place. Chris, you are in my mind.
So sorry for the loss of your sister xx
r.i.p.kathy
I grew up in Salem in the 60s and 70s. It was weird to find out that Fairview had closed after 2000, because I had heard it had closed before I graduated high school in Salem in the 1970s. I remember when the film crew for "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" was in town. A friend of mine went to an extra casting call.
It would have beneficial to both the staff and residents, that the families were expected to come in at least twice a week to help care for their family members. Should have been in the contract. The state Institutions should have expected the parents support of both some money and time in the care of their loved ones.
They did mention some had no family. They were given up or orphaned at a time without much support for poor families.
Fairview was a dumping ground for people with disabilities. Most of the parents never came back after dropping off their family members.
I worked there as a nurse, when I was there the patients got very good care. In my 9 years total working there only two patients had their families visit. And I took care of hundreds of people.
I feel so inspired by all of the people who are advocating for themselves and one another. The history of Fairview is dark and sad, but it's amazing to see how far things have progressed. People first!
Perhaps a minor detail..developmentally disabled persons have a disability that exists at birth, even though the symtoms may not appear until they are older. They do not occur as the result if the accident. Sadly we had a similar facility in PA called Pennhurst. Much love to those who experienced such trauma.
So very sad how these humans, babies, toddlers, children, teenagers, and adults of all ages were treated. God please help them all and RIP to the others. 😪😪❤️❤️🙏🙏
These large institutions were and are an excellent concept. But crucially government needs to fund totally, and there requires highly trained skilled work force and administration, part of the funding is to highly pay all staff that are employed there. Equal to these demands constant checks and balances been audited regularly by highly paid independent organizations. The current dire situation are sick, homeless, addicted, severely mental illness, incarceration and suicide. Families are totally overwhelmed by the needs of this family member, (in an appropriate institution setting, likely this same individual could have 24 hours care with up to 12 specialist clinicians) We are as civilized as the level of care we give to our poor, ill, and mentally disabled. So welcome to our world, the world of the vicious, greedy and ruthlessly cruel. If I'm wrong, show me the government that will save these people.
Exactly!👏👏👏
Now ppl that needed these facilities w/ the specialized care, management, r just living on the streets or in prison or nursing home & many r dangerous to themselves & others w/o proper management. Shutting them all down was a huge mistake...but likely not a "mistake", more likely the government didn't want to pay the MASSIVE amounts of $$$ to care for them. In the institutions, they could live full, long lives...whereas now, many die young...saves the govt $$$.
Human is the true monster
Im crying watch this ' all humans have right to live and treat with love GOD is almighty
Excellent job!!
my grandmother had two daughters one with Cleft palate and the other one was spina bifida and they wanted them to go there my grandmother refused
I worked in a place very simular and it broke my heart. I was left in the charge in lock up ward, I was only in my second year. Although I qualified my psychiatric trainingI stuck to generl nursing. Just couldn't deal with the babybward, some inmates in cots were 30 yeas old, yep 30 yeas just fed turned and nappies changed wether they were due or not.Horrible place to work it haunts me to this day.
"Were there staff that abused patients? Sure but we weeded them out" How flippant! I worry that she was one of them.
Me suffering with bi polar and epilepsy would have been in this place😒
No you wouldn’t have
@@GilaMonster971 at points in history most likely is the answer
@@DramaMustRemainOnTheStage no it isn’t....most people with a seizure disorder can care for themselves.
Most people at Fairview were dangerously violent (most criminally convicted) or severely medically/mentally medically fragile.
Having seizures wouldn’t have resulted in medical commitment.
I worked there for a decade as a nurse and a teachers aid.
This video is biased and focused on ancient history. When Fairview closed it was much better than community support suggests. Most of my patients died with weeks of being moved out of Fairview.
But hey...I guess it saved the tax payers money via attrition. Dead patients don’t cost anything.
@@DramaMustRemainOnTheStage I also hated Sue Ghant (the woman that closed the institution)...even though she always would specifically seek me out to interview me (I think she was horny...and I’m not joking!!🤮 She said a LOT of weird sexually suggestive shiz to me!!) when she visited from the Virgin Island’s. My nursing mangers would advise me “not to piss her off” (I’m not good at taking “advice”), haha but I didn’t care about her “feelings”. I cared about my patients.
The state paid her a fortune, and I hated that bish.
I would try to call in sick when she was there. I couldn’t stand her...
I told her numerous times my patients would die if the institution closed. Her exact words were “it would serve a greater purpose”.
Her actions killed a lot of people.
Thank you.
This is just so sad...People should never be thrown away and that is what they did or told to do..
We are not any better today!! They live on our streets now...
I would think that all of the children didn't need to be there. Putting your child in an institution back then was just what parents did. The stigma of having a child with these disabilities brought shame to the families so shutting them away from the rest of the community was common practice. Some needed to be in an institution with the severity of their disability with people that knew how to help them but like here things aren't always good for the residents. I watched a documentary on another place like this with Revera and it was a nightmare of a place. No proper care just put them all in one room and leave them and it was like slopping pigs when feeding them. They didn't know how to feed themselves. It was just horrible. They were nude and went to the bathroom wherever they sat and then usually that ended up everywhere. But a lot didn't know what was going on but the people that mistreated them knew what they were doing was wrong. Society is cruel and throughout the years and better education and understanding and most of all laws being enforced things have improved I would hope. I don't know personally about how things are but I would hope they are greatly improved.
It is so extremely sad, my heart breaks.
I live down the block.. They have built a large apartment complex on the site.. Its a huge site. I would not ever live on those grounds
They are people, that need Love, attention, and special care. It’s time for every state to have CLEAN ,well staffed, facilities. That will give patients good care & respect!
The interpreter translating for the person with the speach impediment has gained a brilliant skill .The skill usually takes year's and mostly by a family member who have spent year's around that person. It Imust take a lot if training for the carer to be able to do that job. For the client it has so many benefits that we take for granted. For the first time in their lives they have a voice outside of their family homes and not only that they are listened to and take seriously by outsider's for the first time. The straight jacket is of. They feel free. 🐣Progress.
Prayers and Hugs ❤
The lady at the opening is so compassionate ❤️
Holy crap! I'm glad I was born much later. I have epilepsy, and it isn't controlled by medication. Thanks to modern medicine I have an implant that has kept me seizure free for nearly 3 years. My dad too has epilepsy, and I vaguely remember him saying he was put in jail for having a seizure in public, they assumed he was drunk.
That still would have been easy to check. his blood or simply breath. lol
I'm so glad that "mainstreaming" is now a thing. It could have saved many had it always been.
I NEVER LIKED BEING MAINSTREAMED I DIDN'T FEEL SAFE MAINSTREAMED I LIKED THE SELF CONTAINED CLASSROOM I DIDN'T HAVE TO BE AROUND OTHER KIDS I LIKED BEING A LONER BEING FORCED TO SOCIALISE AND HATED IT I STOOD UP AND SAID I DON'T LIKE BEING AROUND OTHERS
@@lindathrall5133 : I really appreciate your comment. It tells me that "one size does not fit all". I was speaking from the perspective of someone I know - actually two people. I've always believed that had one of them been mainstreamed their life would have been better in that they would have possibly been more independent. The other person harbors an anger over not being mainstreamed. I hope you are content, Linda. God bless you.
@@lindathrall5133 You should have had a choice of being mainstreamed or not.
Prayers and Hugs❤❤❤❤❤
Heart breaking. And it’s worse that psychiatric units still have levels of abuse. Not anything compared to what the abuse use to be, but it shows we aren’t educated enough on mental health, or the dangers that come within psychiatric walls.
"Not anything compared to what the abuse use to be" laughable. In some places, it's just as bad.
I have a disability and it made me sad about the people who has intellectual disability just like me were treated badly and it made me mad.
I feel so sad about the past, though :(... Poor special needs people, but at least now they are okay.
I hope you're having a great day❤
@@anntyler6902 Thank you :)
Thank you for your response. I’m sorry you have to go through this.
My heart goes out to anyone with disabilities, but we must keep in mind that families years ago were even less capable of caring for those with special needs. The families were much larger, the income was much smaller, and they didn't have all the healthcare, adequate housing and services we're so fortunate to have today. There were no medicines or reliable treatments for schizophrenia, epilepsy, depression, birth defects, etc . Today, the medical field is infinitely more advanced. Before judging the people of the past, perhaps we should remember that today, people with many of these same kinds of conditions are living in tents, scrounging for food in dumpsters. Some with mental issues are seriously harming, even killing, innocent citizens, and the only "care" they receive, in many cases, is a prison sentence (which some may argue is better than life on the streets). Even our elderly, who years ago would have been cared for until death by adult family members, are now simply sent off to a nursing home and forgotten. How is any of that any better? Maybe it's just easier to point a finger away from ourselves.
Perfect response. Just play w/ ppls emotions just a bit, their "feelings" nowadays & w/ most, all rational thought, ability to detach & see all aspects, just disappears & they spin off into a tunnel vision, single line of thought, emotional, irrational, illogical rant.
Totally agree . Nothing in nature is perfect . Emotions are real just as some unfortunate souls are born with mental and physical weaknesses. 😢
I've spent the night in Fairview now under Edgefield It is a resort with a spa brewery, hotel and restaurants entertainment, movie theater and a music venue. With really good wine. Beautiful gardens. But it still has an Erie filling of a bad past. Unfortunately most of the people have been on the Streets homeless for years.
You are not talking about the same place.
My mother worked there for 8 years back in the 80’s. She has seen some stuff that you can’t even describe. She had to give a ride to one of the patients and another patient hid in the car with them. Once she figured out what was going on, she immediately called 911, that’s the least worst of the stories she has from there.
Was patient raped in the car
I was born and raised in Portland OR ( Fairview is a suburb of Portland) I never knew children lived there I thought it was just adults.. how sad..😞
I was a little shocked/surprised at the term cottages.
Reminded me of the two years I was at Saint Mary's home for wayward boys .
Closets converted into unlit and deadbolted restraint rooms,
Psychological and physical abuse.
I see many similarities between asylums and my time at that place.
The documentary talks about Fairview Training Center in Salem OR
Fairview is a city, but Fairview Training center was in Salem. I was a nurse there...and this video is highly biased.
God does not make mistakes disabled person is a blessing to people and some way for the Glory of God
I had a special Ed teacher in high school who had been employed at Fairview in the 80s and 90s. She told me a few stories here and there, but I think she wanted to forget a lot of it. Now that all the old buildings are long gone and the campus is revitalized into outpatient buildings and services, the interest of going to there to “see it” is no longer an interest. I live south of Seattle and there really aren’t any old hospitals or developmental mentors to explore or urbex. Security systems installed and construction to build new businesses is always going on here. There’s nothing to explore.
Wish she was correct, I’ve been inside. Was there 2 years ago.
Statement at 1:44 in video puts your perspective in void
The land was sold....it isn’t used for “outpatient”.
I worked there from ‘87-‘98....this video is very biased.
Yes, it is. Closing all the facilities was not in the best interest of the millions of ppl that need them.
@@sdelony How come the vast majority of people who lived in these institutions were against them? How come the vast majority of people defending them were employed by them?