View report page

46
In all types of effective social work close co-operation and happy
relationships between the various social workers, whether statutory or
voluntary, are essential, and I am confident that these qualities exist in
full measure amongst all concerned with the welfare of old persons in
this Borough. The enterprise and growth of the Battersea Old People's
Welfare Committee's range of activities have done a great deal in
publicising and meeting the varying needs of the elderly. The persevering
day-to-day achievements of the Women's Voluntary Service in running
the Meals on Wheels service through the snow and ice in the early part
of the year must not be forgotten and the regularity of this service and
" the lifting eye " which all members involved keep on the housebound
aged cannot be too highly praised. I am indebted to the various general
practitioners consulted during the year for their ready assistance in cases,
and also to Dr. Sthyr, the Consultant Geriatrician and Medical Superintendent
of St. John's Hospital, who has been ever ready to help when
an old person required in-patient treatment. Many seriously ill old
people have been sufficiently rehabilitated to be able to return home with
support from local authority after-care services.
We were sorry to lose Mrs. M. I. Richards, the Old People's
Visitor, in March, to the Lambeth Borough Council, as she was very
much concerned in building up the present Borough services for old
people, including the Home Bathing Service. Mrs. D. W. Morley was
appointed in her place in April, and has settled into the work very
quickly and successfully. Altogether 648 visits were made by the Old
People's Visitor during the year.
Home Bathing Service.
The Home Bathing Service, which was started in 1962, has proved
to be an essential adjunct to the many other services provided for old
people in the Borough. In addition to the actual bathing service, many
visits are made to old people by the Home Bathing Attendants, and these
visits become a welcome and beneficial interlude in the lives of the
elderly house-bound. The Attendants work in close co-operation with
the Borough Council's Old People's Visitor, who is kept more readily
acquainted with any change in an old person's circumstances or health
When this service was initiated, one Attendant was appointed on a
part-time basis, but by the end of 1963, owing to the large demand, three
part-time Attendants were employed, and 97 old people were on the
register for this service. During the year, 1,274 baths were given, and
1,031 other visits were made by the Attendants, thus showing the
necessity for such a provision.
Laundry Service for Incontinent Persons.
There is an increasing demand for the Department's Laundry
Service for incontinent persons, and whereas in 1962 4,377 articles
were laundered by the Cleansing Station, at the end of 1963 the number
had risen to 5,314 articles. This is a vital service in assisting an infirnJ
old person to remain at home and in relieving some of the burden
relatives, who are often aged and infirm themselves.