LEGAL AID

To the Editors of the CRIMSON:

Thank you very much for an excellent article on March 21 about the Community Legal Assistance Office. There is one error, however, which should be corrected.

The article states that CLAO has a test case seeking to establish a standard procedure for dealing with elderly persons living alone who are sometimes admitted involuntarily to mental institutions for observation when they appear to be incapable of caring for themselves or may be dangerous to their neighbors in the same building through careless use of hot plates, kerosene lamps, etc. CLAO has not brought such a case. Dr. Benjamin Sachs, the Health Commissioner, recently called a meeting of all agencies which come across elderly persons in this situation to discuss on a city-wide basis what should be done to protect these citizens, including the preservation of their legal rights against arbitrary, involuntary admission to institutions. It is to the credit of Dr. Sachs and to the Chief of the Health Department's Housing Division, Hilliam Ryan, that they have taken the initiative to alert all of us o this problem and to call for a solution that will protect the rights of our senior citizens. Quite to the contrary of the statement in your article, it is not true that housing inspectors have usually had such elderly persons committed.

CLAO will prepare for the group of agencies interested in this problem a summary of the relevant statutes and will help work out with all interested parties, including agencies, judges, and senior citizen groups, suitable procedures for anyone to follow who comes into contact with an elderly person who is unable to care for himself or may be dangerous to others. The group of participants will thoroughly discuss and articulate in writing the criteria, including specific situations, when involuntary admission for temporary observation should and should not be permitted. I trust that the procedure will include immediate legal representation for anyone for whom involuntary admission is sought.

This community planning effort is an example of an attempt to improve a situation through city-wide discussion rather than through litigation. Dr. Sachs and his department are to be congratulated for bringing this problem to the community's attention. John M. Ferren Director, Community Legal Assistance Office