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The Council's scheme of temporary loan of outdoor wheelchairs
is essentially designed to provide a recreational facility for homebound
old people. The period of the loan is restricted to two
months at a time. After this, the applicant's name is placed again
on the waiting list and he/she is eligible to receive a further loan
as soon as a wheelchair becomes available. Persons who are in
permanent need of an outdoor wheelchair may be provided with
one by the Ministry of Health on the recommendation of a
Hospital Consultant.
Special Physical Aids for the Handicapped
In addition to the range of aids and gadgets which are available
under the loan of equipment scheme, a variety of special aids were
provided for individual physically handicapped persons to assist
them in overcoming particular difficulties. These items included a
runabout chair, a kitchen stool, foot stool, overbed table, electric
shaver, etc.
Holidays
Summer holidays are arranged for all categories of handicapped
persons, either directly or in conjunction with voluntary organisations
or by assisting with holidays privately arranged by the
persons concerned.
During the year, some 423 applications were dealt with regarding
holidays for handicapped persons. For various reasons 137 of
these were subsequently cancelled, 25 applications were received
too late for vacancies to be obtained and the actual number
proceeding on holiday was 261, an increase of 5 over the 1967
figure. Of these, 153 with 66 fit spouses were accommodated at
the Council's own hotel at Westgate-on-Sea.
Persons receiving holidays are assessed to contribute towards
the cost according to their means.
Christmas and New Year Parties
Some ten Christmas and New Year parties were held, attended
by 430 handicapped persons and to the cost of which £40 was
donated by the Mayor from his special fund; indeed, a number of
the functions were visited by His Worship and the Mayoress.
Three of these were held at the Mental Health Training Centre at
Maze Hill and the efforts of the centre staff contributed greatly
towards the parties' success.