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(d) many remain happy if they do not become a nuisance to
themselves or others and if they retain their independence;
(e) in general, elderly people were unaware of the facilities
and services available to them, e.g. more than ⅔rds knew
nothing of welfare homes and laundry services—about ½
did not know about sick-room equipment and chiropody
and approximately ⅓rd were ignorant of meals-on-wheels
service and clubs. It was also surprising to learn that
about ¼ had not heard of the District Nurse. The best
known services were those of "home help" and "citizen's
advice bureau" but again, even here, one in five of the
aged had no knowledge.
(f) in helping the old people, relatives appeared to do their
best but that this assistance was diminishing because many
were now out at work and were unable to devote as much
time in assisting the aged as previously.
This survey was small and does not purport to be an exhaustive
study of the problems of old age but it does indicate that
much more research is necessary before any particular service for
the elderly is introduced.
Housing is fundamental and a major factor in the welfare of
the elderly and houses, functionally designed to reduce physical
effort, built to avoid the necessity of "gadgets" and in which safety
has been considered of prime importance, are gradually being
introduced into programmes of many local authorities, but in
general, progress has been painfully slow.
During 1962, local authorities in England and Wales built
some 28,000 one-bedroom dwellings and the National Old People's
Welfare Council estimated that this was only one half of the
housing needs for old people and even these were not necessarily
all reserved for the elderly.
Unfortunately, the total housing provisions purely for the
elderly is not known neither is their housing need. As a consequence,
it is difficult for any organisation to formulate any satisfactory
plans for community services.
It would appear that there is room for still further co-operation
between Health and Housing departments especially with regard to
the social aspects of rehousing. All too often rehousing of the
younger generation produces an acute home-care problem for the
aged person subsequently left stranded, a situation which perhaps
with a little more investigation and understanding either could