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CARE OF THE AGED LIVING ALONE.
In Great Britain nearly two-thirds of people living alone
are more than 60 years old and less than one-tenth are under 40.
Women have a greater expectation of life than men, and as age
advances, widows outnumber widowers. In the case of a husband
and wife of the same age there is a 60 per cent. chance that the
wife will outlive the husband, and of women widowed at 50,
three-quarters will live for 20 years. It is evident, therefore,
that more women than men require outside help when they
become ill, at least in the older age groups. During the past
70 years the population over 60 has doubled and it will continue
to increase proportionately to the rest of the population for
many years to come. By 1970 the percentage of persons of
pensionable age will be as large as that of those at work, unless
of course, by that time the folly of compulsory retirement at
60 to 65 has been realised.
If we believe that the influence of family life, with its
home comforts and adequate meals, is a factor of importance
in the maintenance of health, we must assume that those who
live alone are more liable to illness than the rest of the population,
and recent surveys have upheld this assumption.
A number of surveys made during the past few years have
provided a lot of information about the prevalence of sickness
and disablement among the elderly who live on their own, or
with a relative who is unable to give them much attention.
In an area in London, 5 per cent. of the households made up
of older people living alone or practically alone needed regular
nursing and domestic help. The medical practitioner was in
attendance in 70 per cent. of the cases and 13 per cent. of the
males and 21 per cent. of the females were confined to bed.
Neglect and lack of treatment are important factors in
making old people immobile, house-bound and bedridden prematurely.
It has been computed that 10 per cent. would benefit
very much by simple chiropody, many also by physiotherapy:
a recent report by the British Medical Association has drawn
attention to the need for early recognition and treatment of
eye, ear, dental and other defects.
One of the reasons given for the frequency with which people
living alone are neglected by their relations and neighbours is
the unsympathetic attitude of the modern world to those in need
of assistance—that "spirit of the age" in which family ties
of the past have been loosened, and children no longer accept
their responsibilities to their parents. Careful enquiry in