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Cleansing of Old People.—Section 43 of the London County
Council (General Powers) Act, 1953, provides for the cleansing of
any aged person in the district who :
(a) is verminous or for any other reason in need of clean
sing in order to prevent injury or the danger of ipjury
to health; and
(b) is so enfeebled that he is unable to avail himself of any
facilities for cleansing himself provided by the authority
under any enactment or to cleanse himself properly.
_.
In this respect, during the current year, 41 baths were given
to dirty or verminous elderly persons at the Cleansing Station and
99 home baths were effected.
Laundry Service.—Under Section 122 of the Public Health
(London) Act, 1936, the Council is empowered to cause to be cleansed
" any articles which are filthy, dangerous or unwholesome and
liable to affect or endanger health." Advantage has been taken
not only of this section but also Sections 124 and 194 to introduce a
laundry service in order to deal suitably with what has always been a
major problem, namely, the treatment of badly soiled clothes, bedlinen,
etc., from the homes of elderly people.
Cases in need of such assistance are brought to the notice of the
department by Hospitals, District Nurses, Doctors and by ordinary
routine investigation of complaints.
From the Council's limited stocks of bedding and clothing it is
possible in certain circumstances for temporary supplies of linen,
etc., to be made to people whose own is being laundered, and cooperation
with voluntary organisations often results in the repair
or replacement of outworn articles.
By the end of the year the laundry service, supervised by the
Lady Public Health Inspector, had been extended to 97 separate
individuals and during the current year, the staff at the Cleansing
Staion have dealt with 9,380 articles which were collected, laundered
and delivered.
Greenwich Old People's Welfare Association.—This association
set up in July, 1954 co-ordinates the activities of Old People's Clubs
in the Borough which provide for the physical and mental recreation
of their members and the following extracts are from the fourth
Annual Report of the Association.
" Old People's Clubs.—We feel we must commence our Annual
Report by mentioning the Darby and Joan Clubs, the Federation
Clubs and Church Clubs which are our greatest source of contact
amongst the elderly of the Borough. We know that their great