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in accordance with an approved scale, of the contribution
towards the holiday expenses, which the old person is
asked to make. Each case recommended is submitted to the
Chairman of the Public Health Committee for approval. It
is then referred to the Family Welfare Association who
arrange for the holiday, as far as possible meeting the
applicant's wishes and needs, The Council make themselves
responsible for the expenses, subject to collection of the
old person's contribution by the Family Welfare Association.
During the year seventy-six old persons were sent away
for holidays of one or two weeks. The total cost to the
Council amounted to £282.10s.10d. Altogether ninety cases
were accepted under the scheme, but in fourteen of the cases
the old people concerned cancelled the arrangements after
the booking had been made.
Domiciliary Cleansing
Arrangements have been made whereby old people's living
accommodation and household articles are cleansed and, if
necessary, disinfested. The Regional Hospital Boards, the
London County Council and the Kensington Council of Social
Service co-operate by providing temporary accommodation,
where necessary, while old people's belongings are being
dealt with at the disinfecting station. Twenty-five old
people were dealt with in 1952.
Cleansing of Old People
The powers of the Council to cleanse persons are limited
to verminous or suspected verminous persons (apart from
special provisions for common lodging houses). These powers
are contained in Sections l24 and 125 of the Public Health
(London) Act, 1936. The Council also have powers under
Section 122 of the same Act to cleanse articles. These
powers are wider and enable the Council to deal not only
with verminous articles but with articles which are in such
a filthy, dirty or unwholesome condition that health is
affected or endangered.
Records are being compiled of old people living alone
who may be in need of care and attention, and this work has
revealed that there are many old people who are suffering
from personal uncleanliness. They are not sick but merely
feeble or senile, and occasionally they are found to be
verminous. Some of them are dirty through lack of selfinterest,
but others are acutely conscious of their inability
to maintain a reasonable standard of cleanliness. There
are some who live in the older tenement houses which are not
provided with baths and bathrooms, and they are unable to go
to the public baths because of incapacity.
After consideration the Council came to the conclusion
that it would be desirable for the powers of the Council
under Sections 124 and 125 of the Public Health (London)
Act, 1936, to be extended to provide for the cleansing not
only of verminous persons but also of persons in such a
filthy, dirty or unwholesome condition that their health is
affected or endangered. Representations were made to the
Metropolitan Boroughs' Standing Joint Committee who agreed
that it was desirable for extended powers to be given to
metropolitan borough councils providing the consent of the
person was obtained.
Whilst these deliberations were in progress, the Council
authorised the Medical Officer of Health to arrange for the
cleansing, including bathing in their own homes, of old people