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than 45 per cent.) die within a short time. Of those who survive
only a small proportion remain permanently in the hospital. Some
recover sufficiently to be transferred to an institution or home for
the aged, whilst others can be rehabilitated and return home, if the
local authority is prepared to provide a certain amount of help and
assistance in the home. In a realisation of these facts we would
ask the hospital authorities to take as sympathetic an attitude as
possible to the acceptance of the aged sick. We would make it clear
immediately that the problem as we see it is not one which applies
particularly to the Borough of Hampstead, where we have received
every help from the hospitals and institutions concerned, but one
which needs national understanding and realisation. Of the 85 who
died, 57 survived less than 6 months from the time they were
notified to us.
Details of 43 cases still at home.
Of the 43 cases still at home, 12 were considered to be in a
poor state of health and may well require to go to hospital in the near
future. 22 of the 43 eases were living alone and in 14 cases a home
help was in attendance, in 4 cases the district nurse, and in 4 the
mobile meals visit twice a week.
These cases should be visited regularly so that further help
may be obtained at the earliest opportunity. If they were visited
once a month, this would mean a further 600 visits a year. At present
the average figure for the last two years for visits by the Sanitary
Inspectors is 566, and this figure includes certain re-inspections to
certain cases, but not routine monthly re-inspections to all cases.
Conclusions.
In my opinion a time has come when the Medical Officer of
Health of a local authority should have available to him
notification of persons, of certain age groups, living in his district.
Without this, any attempt to deal with the care of the aged will be
piece-meal and will fail to prevent much of the unhappiness and many
of the tragedies which it has been our lot to see. It is not
sufficient that the Medical Officer of Health should be called in when
there has been a breakdown in the independence of the old person. He
should be able to supervise those members of his area before such an
occurrence, for I am satisfied that with the use of many of the
services available today much could be done to prevent and avoid the
conditions which we are attempting to cure.
In some boroughs staff have already been appointed to care for
the aged in health rather than in sickness, and to bring to them
those amenities which will prevent an eventual breakdown. Under
adequate supervision the majority of old people can continue to
live an active and happy life far beyond the three score years or
even four score years mentioned in the Bible. Somehow or another we
have to re-establish the old person as a member of the community and