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help in the formation of luncheon clubs, with the possibility of a
chiropody service being included ; friendly visiting of old people (which
will normally be, it is hoped, through the agency of other old people's
organisations in the borough, but some of which will have to be an executive
duty of the association); the possible formation of a care committee
(which might be the welfare committee of the association, or a subcommittee
of that committee) to help old people in cash or kind or
advice. For the future, when the association is on a sound financial
footing and can extend, it has in mind the question of homes, more
particularly a holiday home where old people can get away for two
weeks or so at much expected benefit to themselves and also in some
cases to the benefit of relatives who look after them for the rest of the
year, and secondly, residential homes on an almost selfsupporting basis
where old people can have their own apartments and yet have the addition
of some communal services if they so desire.
In effect therefore considerable progress was made during the year
on the care of old people in the borough, but possibly it could be said
that the progress was relatively greater on the administrative side,
i.e., on setting up the machinery, than on the actual executive side, i.e.,
work in the field. There is no reason however, now that the machinery
has been reasonably well assembled, that the field work should not
increase rapidly. The two main requirements are sufficient financial
support and sufficient voluntary effort. The borough council can help
the former, but additional financial help will without doubt be required,
and an almost unlimited amount of voluntary effort can be absorbed.
The care of old people now is in some ways in a rather similar
position to the care of babies and young people some 30 years ago.
Before the advent of the Maternity and Child Welfare Act of 1918 a
great amount of work had been done for infants and mothers by
voluntary effort, and in fact the voluntary workers were the pioneers in
such activities. In the same way care for old people is starting with a
great deal of voluntary effort and this will probably need to continue
indefinitely. At the same time however it must be remembered that all
statistics indicate that the proportion of old people will rise steeply
over the next 30 or 40 years, so that as time goes on there will be relatively
more old people and relatively less younger people to look after them.
It is therefore likely that local government authorities will have to help
out more and more as time goes on.
During the year domestic helps were supplied by the LCC to 456
old people in the borough.