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(h) Escorts
The handicapped require escorts in travelling from their home to
and from the centre, and although various volunteers have given generously
of their services for this work it was found necessary to supplement
such services by the use of a paid escort for two days a week. The
final arrangements for this were made in early 1963.
(i) S.47
S.47 of the National Assistance Act 1948 allows application to be
made to a Magistrates' Court for an order for the compulsory removal
of an old person from his home in certain circumstances. These circumstances
are strictly limited and in general only apply to old persons
in very poor health living in bad hygienic conditions. Every effort
is made to prevent such cases occurring and this can usually be done
if the Department gets to know about them at a reasonably early date.
In such circumstances they are visited by the women health officers
who can generally set in motion other aids, such as home helps, nursing
care, medical care, meals, and so on and often can prevent further deterioration
of the case. Alternatively the patient will be persuaded to
enter a Part III home of the county council or in some cases to enter
hospital. It is only the extreme case who refuses to have such help where
application will have to be made to the Magistrates' Court. In 1962
although several cases were investigated none went as far as requiring
court proceedings.
(j) Visiting
The women health officers are also infectious disease visitors.
Infectious diseases vary considerably year by year and season by season,
and during the slacker seasons of infections the women health officers
are able to put in a greater amount of visiting of old people. This
dual-purpose visiting, though not perhaps very logical, works well in
practice, and the number of visits paid to the elderly is shown in the
following table:

(k) Housing
Satisfactory housing can be a major requirement for continued
health and wellbeing in the elderly. Eventually for most people a time
will come when they cannot easily climb stairs and they cannot easily
do the housework in a large or difficult house. The one-roomed flatlet
on the ground floor or in a building with a lift then becomes almost
essential. It has the added advantage that premises which are often
underoccupied are consequently vacated and can be used for a larger
family. There has been a tendency in recent years to increase the
number of one-roomed flatlets or similar type of small premises
available for old people, and the Lewisham Old People's Housing