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74
Mr. C. (88 years)
Mr. C. was a feeble old man maintained at home reasonably well with
the help of neighbours and a relative Unfortunately this help was suddenly
withdrawn and it was felt at first that it would be impossible for Mr C
to remain at his address However, daily home help from the London County
Council was arranged the Invalid Meals Service given, and later, home bathing
and the Council s Special Laundry Service operated
Even with available services it is often difficult adequately to care
for anyone as infirm as Mr C but this situation was helped by tne fact that
he was known to a number of callers, who, in turn, would report on his needs
As a result of information received a broken front door lock was satisfactorily
dealt with mice infestation treated by the Council s rodent section the
National Assistance Board approached for clothing replacement and domiciliary
chiropody treatment given
Mrs K (97 years)
Mrs K was first brought to the notice of the Department by the National
Assistance Board and when visited by the Old People s Health Officer was found
to be occupying a first floor front room which was smelly and filthy The room
was cluttered with furniture and occupied by four cats, which were not let out.
The smell was aggravated by the condition of Mrs K s ulcerated legs
The District Nurse (from the North London (Islington) District Nursing
Association) was attending to dress Mrs K s legs but found her task increasingly
difficult due to the presence of the cats and vermin The Home Help Service of the
London County Council was also operating but this was not regular as the majority
of home helps found the conditions intolerable Fumigation was carried out by an
operative of this Department and the Animal Rescue League collected three of the
cats This improved conditions slightly but no considerable difference was made
until the Nurse-in-Charge of the Borough Council Treatment Centre called to give
regular home bathing In this way it was possible to obtain a change of linen and
clothing and to arrange for the provision of Council s Special Laundry Service
Domiciliary chiropody treatment was also given
The structural and decorative conditions of the whole house are extremely bad
but little can be done to improve this as the premises are subject to a Closing
Order made by the Council under the Housing Act, 1957 Fortunately, the elderly
owner lives on the premises and has never complained about conditions or Mrs K
herself, as he maintains that she had been very good to him in the past However,
with the right type of home help operating and maintenance of other services,
conditions have not deteriorated further At some time in the future when the
Council are able to deal with the question of rehousing the occupants the well
being of Mrs. K will require further consideration
Mrs V. (82 years)
For many years Mrs W. had taken in lodgers but with advanced age and senility
had become increasingly dependent on the services of one of these lodgers a Mr D
who had been with her for a considerable time In May 1959 Mr D. collapsed in the
street and was taken to hospital A local shopkeeper telephoned the Public Health
Department to this effect, as Mr D was very concerned as to what would happen
his landlady during his absence
Following a visit by the Old People s Health Officer Mrs W was found to spend
most of the time in bed and to be senile and incontinent Her bed and bedding were
filthy and the room verminous and insanitary There were also five cats and innumerable
kittens on the premises Offers of help were at first refused and Mr D (on his
return from hospital) was also reluctant to avail himself of any services Finding
the task of caring for the old lady increasingly difficult, however he did eventually
agree to accept limited help
The first step was to take both by the Council s ambulance to our Treatment Centre
for personal cleansing and during their absence, the rooms were sprayed by an operative
of this Department for vermin and the People s Dispensary for Sick Animals collected
some of the cats and kittens Next, the home help service was introduced Two home
helps did yeoman work to clear and clean Mrs W s room and eventually bed and bedding
replacements were made and accumulation of rubbish removed by the Council's Cleansing
Department
Bathing has continued regularly for this couple together with the Meals Service
and Mrs W now has the Council s Special Laundry Service and has benefited from
domiciliary chiropody treatment