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60
Exhibits.
In September the Islington Chamber of Commerce organised a Festival of
Trade, and with the Co-operation of Store Managers four exhibits were shown by
the Department in shop windows in the Borough, for one week. The subjects
covered were :—
Clean and dirty lcitchens.
Rat and mouse infestation.
Cafe and canteen hygiene.
Clean food.
Lectures and Talks.
A request was received from a store in the Borough for trainees to be allowed
to attend the Department to receive instruction in subjects relating to environmental
and food hygiene. The trainees were addressed by the Deputy Medical Officer of
Health and the Chief Sanitary Inspector, and time allotted for questions and answers.
Towards the end of the year, the Divisional Medical Officer asked for the
co-operation of this Department in giving talks to school children with particular
reference to hygiene of milk. The Committee agreed to co-operate and to allow its
officers to attend schools for this purpose. It is hoped that the programme will be
commenced early in 1953.
CARE OF ELDERLY PERSONS
According to the 1951 Census, the number of old people in this Borough, that
is over the age of 65, comprised 9,000 men and 16,500 women, which is 25,500 out
of the total population of 235,600, or about 11%.
It is estimated for the Country as a whole, 12½% of old people live alone, and
if this figure is applied to Islington, it would mean that approximately 3,200 old
persons live by themselves. It is quite possible that in a Borough such as Islington
the proportion may be even greater.
Old persons are brought to the notice of the Public Health Department usually
because of a combination of unsatisfactory sanitary circumstances, together with
difficulty in obtaining reasonable care and attention required, whether this is of a
medical or general nature. Information is passed to the Department from a great
variety of sources, including the police. It is almost invariably necessary to make a
visit before any opinion can be passed as to what action and assistance, if any, can
be rendered through the Department.
During the year 427 old people's cases were reported to the Department and
visited but in only a relatively small proportion of such cases was it necessary to
consider the possibility of compulsory action under the National Assistance Acts.
From the particulars given, however, of the twenty cases which had to be dealt with
through legal action, it is obvious that there are some old people who live alone and
almost forgotten in the most unsatisfactory circumstances, but whose sturdy
independence makes them loth to seek or accept help from others.