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London does not altogether support this contention and many
facts can be brought forward in extenuation. There is the
very difficult housing situation; families are smaller and
there are fewer children to take their turn in accommodating
their parents, there are also more elderly people than ever.
In a survey of 1,500 solitary old peple, it was found that four-fifths
of the women and two-thirds of the men were visited by
members of their families and these figures corresponded with
the number of near relations living. About a third of the
relatives lived in another part of London and a sixth elsewhere,
5 per cent. were themselves ill or aged. It is not difficult,
therefore, to understand why they could not give more attention
to their relatives.
A certain number of sick persons will need hospital inpatient
investigation and treatment, but the concern of the
local health and sanitary authorities is the facilities available
for providing satisfactory domiciliary care. Many agencies are
involved and these have to work in close collusion. The ideal
team is captained by the family doctor and among its chief
members are the district nurse, the health visitor and the home
help, with members of voluntary bodies, friends and neighbours
playing an important part.
In Camberwell there is an Old Persons' Welfare Association
which receives an annual grant from the Borough Council for the
purpose of providing and co-ordinating a variety of services
for old people including "meals on wheels" and dinner clubs,
Old Persons' Clubs, chiropody, holidays, etc. The London
County Council provides home help and night sitters-in services,
home visiting by Health Visitors, and the Borough Council
has established a Mobile Library which attends at the homes
of the house-bound. The close collaboration which exists between
these bodies has made it possible for a large number of old
people to be adequately looked after in their own homes instead
of occupying a far more costly hospital bed at a time when there
is a shortage of hospital nurses.
The National Assistance Act gives power to a local sanitary
authority to apply for a Court Order for the compulsory removal
of a person who is ill or aged, infirm and physically incapacitated
and is living in insanitary conditions. This drastic action is
only taken exceptionally, when all other measures have failed
and it is gratifying to record that it did not become necessary
to deal with any case in this way in Camberwell during the
year under review.