Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Greenwich Borough]
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Tunnel Avenue | Plumstead | Lionel Road | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Number bathed at home | 2.679 | 3,718 | 2,654 | 9,051* |
Number bathed at centre | 1,824 | 1,045 | 919 | 3.788t |
Pedicure | 218 | 49 | 108 | 375 |
Hair-washing | 22 | 10 | 2 | 34 |
* Males 1,979 Females 7,072
t Males 817 Females 2,971
Miscellaneous—Treatment of scabies and the cleansing of
verminous persons are also duties falling to the staff of the bathing
centres.
Incontinent Laundry Service
This service has been established to :—
(i) relieve the pressure on families who are managing under
extreme difficulties with seriously ill patients;
(ii) assist many old persons who, although not seriously ill,
have a stress incontinence or kidney condition.
Although dealing mainly with laundry from the homes of the
elderly, this service is extended to all like cases of all ages at home
or in residential care. Collections are usually daily but they can
vary from twice to three times per week. There is no doubt but that
this service is frequently the means whereby elderly persons are
enabled to pass their remaining days among their own surroundings
when otherwise they would be hospital patients.
Ancillary to this service is the loan of mackintoshes and a limited
number of sheets and draw sheets are also available for urgent
needs. Both this and the Bathing Service are worked in closest
co-operation with the District Nurses.
There are two laundry centres, one at the Tunnel Avenue Centre
and the other at the White Hart Road Centre. How effective and
valuable this service is proving to be is shown by the following
statistics which show an increase of 1\% over the previous year.
Tunnel White Hart
Avenue Road
Number of articles laundered 84,669 111,061
Home Cleansing Service
Not infrequently the rooms of elderly people deteriorate into a
muddled dirty state and the task of cleaning up becomes too complex
for the relations or home helps. In such cases, having first
gained the consent of relations or persons concerned, a team