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64
Aged, Infirm and Physically Incapacitated Persons.—
Since the beginning of the century the birth rate has steadily
declined and, due to progress in medicine and the improvement of
social amenities, the expectation of life has increased; as a result,
the Royal Commission on Population stated that by 1977 there will
be 10 million or more people over the age of 65 years forming
approximately one-fifth of the total population, a figure almost
equivalent to the estimated number of children under 15 years.
This ageing of the population naturally brings its own problems
and a corollary to this alteration in the constitution of the population
is that there will be a greater number of persons no longer capable
of fending for themselves. Aggravating the situation is the fact
that in modern families, which for a number of reasons tend to be
smaller and less united than before, the elderly are no longer considered
to be an integral part of the family circle as is common in
less civilised countries.
Fortunately, there are in Greenwich a number of almshouses
provided by various charities which render the problem for the aged
less acute, but despite old people's clubs, associations, etc., a great
deal of the responsibility for the well being of the elderly falls to the
Public Health Department and, in particular, to the Lady Sanitary
Inspector. Information, advice and assistance are readily available
to those who take advantage of the organisations specially set up
for the old people, but it is the elderly and infirm living alone in
self-contained units or in sub-let rooms, and although not chronically
sick are suffering from disabilities of old age, who form the
core of the problem from a public health point of view.