Ethel Paley
Ethel Paley was a social worker who advocated for the rights of nursing home patients and their families.
Biography
Paley was born Ethel Louise Schneider to Herman, a restaurateur and Ida, a homemaker. They moved to Willimantic, Connecticut from Flushing, Queens during the Depression. She served in Washington, DC in 1943 as a member of the WAVES. When she returned, she used the G.I. Bill to attend Barnard College, earning a bachelor’s degree in American history and economics in 1949. She earned her Master of Social Work, with a concentration in community organization, from the Columbia [University School of Social Work].She was a resident of the West Village for over 60 years.
Career
After Barnard, Paley worked at the New [York City Housing Authority] and directed the school’s career office.Paley founded the non-profit Friends and Relatives of the Institutionalized Aged in 1976 which operated until its bankruptcy in 2011. Paley was the first executive director. Her work led to the formation of .
FRIA operated a hotline, available in English and Spanish and staffed by social work students.