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18
NATIONAL, ASSISTANCE ACT , 1948. SECTION 47
In spite of the services mentioned in the preceding section,
a number of old people become so ill or infirm that it is necessary
for them to go either into hospital or into one of the old people's
homes provided by the London County Council. In the first place
efforts are made to try and arrange for the old people to live
with relatives or friends but failing this arrangements are made
with the Welfare Department of the London County Council or with
the Whittington Hospital and it must be recorded that both these
bodies have shown the greatest cooperation.
In the majority of cases the patient can be persuaded to
accept these arrangements, but during the year there were two
cases in which the patient refused and it was necessary to apply
to the Courts for a Removal Order.
In one case the old lady of 94 years of age who lived on the
top floor of a house, had over the years accumulated such a
collection of old newspapers and rubbish that it was almost impossible
to get into the rooms, which were permanently blacked
out and where the only lights were from candles.
She had on a previous occasion set fire to some of the
rubbish but the fire was discovered by other occupants of the
house before serious damage was caused.
The Magistrates made an Order for her removal to a
London County Council Home and once the Order was made the
old lady went quite willingly.
The other case was a lady of 93 years of age who lived
in a basement flat with her equally elderly husband, The husband
did his best but the old lady would not allow him to do even what
he could to clean her room and she refused any assistance from
the home help service. Once again when a Removal Order was
made by the Court the old lady went with very little protest,
Although an Order can be made for the removal and maintenance
of an old person for a period of three months, the Welfare
Department of the County Council usually requests that in the
first instance the Order should be for not more than six weeks