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"fend-offs" are manufactured. Substantial assistance is given to
the severely mentally handicapped child by the Borough's modern,
specially designed "Junior Centre" and older persons in this category
are encouraged to become self-supporting at the Council's 2 Industrial
Training Centres.
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,
which are responsible for dispensing almost 175,000 meals a year,
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 original prints by contemporary
British artists have been made available to residents over
the age of 18 years. "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