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107
HANDICAPPED PERSONS - GENERAL CLASSES
The main objectives in promoting the welfare of handicapped persons
are as follows:-
(a) To assist them to overcome the effects of their disability
and to obtain any available general, preventive or remedial
treatment.
(b) To give advice and guidance on personal problems and in
connection with any service, whether provided under any
enactment or rendered by any voluntary organisation, which
appears to be available to them and of which they wish to
take advantage.
(c) To encourage them to take part in the activities of social
centres and clubs.
(d) To use the best endeavours to arrange for voluntary workers
to visit handicapped persons with a view to affording them
comfort and encouragement and assistance in the solution of
domestic and other problems confronting them.
(e) To provide practical assistance in adaptations to the homes
of handicapped persons.
(f) To facilitate the taking of holidays.
(g) To provide facilities and assistance to handicapped persons
travelling to and from their homes to participate in any of
the services.
(h) To take such steps as are practical in consultation with
the Ministry of Labour to assist a handicapped person to
secure any work for which he appears to be fitted and which
he is desirous of obtaining.
(i) To take such steps as are practicable to assist a handicapped
person who appears to be capable of benefiting from training
under the Education Act, 1944, or the Disabled Persons
(Employment) Acts, 1944 and 1958, and is desirous of taking
advantage of such training.
The Register of Handicapped Persons at 31st December, 1967, showed
a total of 1,046. During the year, 416 (347) persons were added to the
register. The grouping of disabilities is in accordance with the Medical
Research Council code of diseases and disabilities as used by the Ministry
of Labour. Relevant statistics are produced in Table I. An analysis
of the disabilities of the newly registered cases is shown in Table II.
Notifications concerning handicapped persons are received from a
variety of sources and the circumstances of each case are investigated
at the earliest opportunity. The number of home visits carried out by
the social welfare officers was 4,009 (2,915).
Arising from these visits, many needs have been brought to notice
resulting in 210 (108) items being supplied, such as bath safety rails,
bed rests, bath mats, bath seats, long-handled dustpans and brushes, a
Hoyer Lifter, lazy tongs, long-handled shoe horns, raised toilet seats,
stocking aids, tap turners, writing frames, walking aids, white folding
sticks for the blind and adapted cutlery. The cost of these totalled
£373.18.8d (£176.14. 0d). In addition, 219 articles of medical loan
equipment were issued.
The sum of £638.9.2d (£391.6. 5d) has been spent on special
grants for handicapped persons on the following items:-