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Fifty-five 'Old People's Clubs', each of which receives a little
financial assistance from the Council, cater for the elderly residents
of the Borough and, in seven instances, Council premises are made
available free of charge. In addition to the thirteen luncheon clubs
and the supplying of meals to three other establishments, viz. two
for handicapped and one for elderly homebound, there is an effective
'Meals-on-Wheels' service. Daily deliveries are made to over 625
homebound persons and the number of meals provided is at the
rate of 162,500 annually. A Day Club for the home-bound and
4 Day Rooms have been founded to ameliorate still further the lot
of the retired person.
More recently, realizing the substantial benefits accruing to the
aged from a satisfying holiday, the Council purchased two first class
hotels at Westgate-on-Sea for the exclusive use of its elderly residents
and holidays have now been made available to them throughout the
year at nominal cost.
In suitable cases, arrangements are made for the elderly to be
bathed either in their own homes or at the Council's Bathing Centres
and a special "incontinent laundry" service has been introduced for
the cleansing of soiled bed linen and clothing of the bedridden.
By appointing a Geriatric Advisor, the Council has demonstrated
its fervent support of 'preventive medicine' and, furthermore, has
recently introduced Geriatric Clinics for the early detection of
disorders to which the elderly become prone.
Serving the Borough are 13 libraries, 9 main and 4 part-time,
supplemented by a mobile library intended to cater for the more
'remote' parts of the area. The main branches are admirably
adapted to enable private study to be undertaken in close proximity
to comprehensive reference sections and they afford access to daily
newspapers as well as weekly and monthly periodicals. Special
facilities are provided for children, hospital patients, homebound
invalids and elderly persons and, furthermore, opportunities for the
borrowing of gramophone records and reproductions of famous
paintings have been made available to residents over the age of
18 years. Blind people are offered a service of Braille and 'talking
books' obtained from the National Library for the Blind and allied
organisations, and 'large print' books are stocked for the particular
use of the elderly and partially sighted. A museum at Plumstead, an
Art Gallery at the Tudor Barn and a Local History Section are all
the responsibility of the Borough Librarian and Curator.
Virtually first class educational facilities are at the disposal of
residents, encompassing as they do the nursery and handicapped
children's establishments as well as the normal primary, secondary,