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The Council also continued to co-operate in the Health publicity
programme organised by the London County Council health Division III.
ELDERLY PERSONS:
The Council has continued its very active concern and support during
1962 in connection with all schemes designed to assist in the case of the
ageing, towards their better health and to enable the to enjoy their
later years.
Some of these Schemes have been established as part of the Council's
general health services, and others have been encouraged and developed by
means of generous grants to voluntary organisations responsible for them,
amounting in all to £10,065 during the financial year 1961/62. The work
of these organisations has been co-ordinated as far as possible by the
Finsbury Old People's Welfare Committee, consisting of representatives of
most of them and of the Health Committee, and of which I have been
privileged to be Honorary Secretary. It has operated therefore in very
close association with the Services provided by the Council and has
received from its financial grants towards it's expenses. In addition to
co-ordination it has also undertaken responsibility for the services
indicated with the initials F.O.P.W.C. in brackets below.
(a) Visitors: A Nurse Visitor and Assistant Nurse Visitor have been
employed whose duties involve the regular visiting of aged persons,
particularly those living alone, who are likely to be in need of care and
attention.
The main duties of the staff of the Finsbury Old People's Welfare
Committee are to aid all the aged to obtain such benefits as might be
available from any source, and to give personal help, comfort and
friendship wherever possible. In this and other ways information has
become available as to most of the elderly in need, but occasionally
others are found whom had they been known earlier might have been helped.
The staff which consisted in 1961 of a Social Worker and Assistant
Social Worker was augmented in 1962 by the appointment of an additional
Social Worker.
(b) Meal Services (i) Club Meals: Many of the elderly, particularly
those who live alone, are apt to take insufficient food, not only because
of expense but also because of the difficulty and trouble involved in
preparing a satisfactory meal for one. Dinner services, therefore, have
been instituted through voluntary associations throughout the Borough.
A grant is given to the associations by the Council to cover their
expenses and further grants are made by the London County Council and
Finsbury Old People's Welfare Committee, to enable the meals to be
supplied at a cost of elevenpence per head to the elderly. During 1962
20,608 meals: were served from Meal Centres, as against 20,690 in 1961.
The following centres were in operation for 3 to 5 days weekly
throughout the year.
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