# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_1969_S502
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

APPENDIX I
Other Reports

These are reports that are not strictly speaking part of the business of the
convention under the provisions of Bylaw 1.27 a, but they are deemed sufficiently
important to the work of the Synod to be incorporated in this appendix.

(11-A)

Report on Bethesda Lutheran Home

The Bethesda Lutheran Home Association, the board
of directors thereof, and the staff and faculty of Be-
thesda Lutheran Home express sincere thanks to The
Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod for its loyal sup-
port and services rendered during 1968 and previous
years.

Our special thanks and expression of appreciation
are extended to the Board of Directors of The Lutheran
Church — Missouri Synod, the Council of Presidents,
and the Commission on Services to the Mentally Re-
tarded for their approval and support of the “His Too”
crusade for capital funds. We thank God for the tre-
mendous response of pastors and laymen who have
offered their help on this nationwide appeal, which far
exceeded our fondest expectations. We pray that
through the power of the Holy Spirit the Crusade will
be successful in gathering the funds needed by the
Home and the other two institutions involved.

Statistics
Enrollment Comparison 71,67 3, 24. 69
a. Children under 18 — 154 114
Adults 18 and over 512 534
b. Number of above living in wards __ 637 614
Number in Half-Way Houses in
Watertown 25 27
Number out on placement away
from BLH 4 7
c. Classification of present population by degree of re-
tardation:
1. Educable 152 or 23%
2. Trainable 286 or 42%
3. Custodial 224 or 35%

. Physical handicaps: Almost all of the residents are
multihandicapped; 167 are epileptic, 149 have speech
problems, 35 have little or no sight, ete.

. Eighty percent of all residents served are from LCMS
families.

Financial

Operating budget for 1967—68 fiscal year was
$2,116,000. Operating budget adopted for 1968—69 fiscal
year was $2,189,000. Approximately 390 of the residents
have responsible parents living, but many can pay little
or nothing toward their cost of care. Approximately 270
have no responsible relatives living. Anticipated receipts
for cost of care from payments of parents, trust funds,
public funds such as Social Security, Medicaid, etc.,
and other earned income: $1,000,000.

Income estimated to be received from contributions

489

from congregations, societies, and individuals: $1,189,000
for the fiscal year ending Aug. 31, 1969.

Cost of care per resident increased from $270 to
$280 per month for the fiscal year ending 8/3/69. This
covers food, shelter, medical, nursing, and therapy ser-
vices, as well as training and recreation programs. In-
crease in cost is due to improved programs and the
need to increase wages to obtain and keep competent
help.

Program

New Cottage Life Program. For 50 years the Home
was structured without departments, with all employees
answerable directly to the superintendent. There were
only 65 employees caring for 335 residents, six teachers
in the school faculty, some of whom doubled as ward
parents, a part-time physician, a part-time dentist, and
no qualified nursing personnel. Since that time we have
a program branch with a nursing department, a train-
ing department, a social service department, and our
newest cottage life department. This is structured in
four units, two for children under 18, and two for adults
over 18, served by a team consisting of a professional
unit leader, who supervises a registered nurse, a social
worker, a religious worker (deaconess or LLTI grad-
uate), a teacher, recreation therapist, and part-time
physical-occupational-speech therapy services plus ward
parents. Other services may be provided on an individ-
ual basis as necessary. This is a new concept being
developed in similar institutions which we find results
in improved ward-parent-to-resident ratio, better team
programing and staff communication, appropriate case
load for social workers, and closer relationship with the
families, more individual attention for the least able,
expanded religious instruction and spiritual counsel, a
shift from medical-custodial care to a treatment-training
model, a wider span of social and recreational activity
and community involvement.

Nursing and Medical: We have 21 registered nurses
and 10 licensed practical nurses on our staff, supple-
mented by 153 aides called ward parents. We have a
medical director, a psychiatrist, a psychologist, an ortho-
pedist, and two dentists on a part-time basis. A full-
time pharmacist makes up an average of 1,400 prescrip-
tions per month for the residents.

The Home is licensed by the state of Wisconsin as
a child care institution for those under 18 and as a skilled
nursing home for those over 17. We are also accredited
by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals,
rated as an extended care facility by the federal gov-