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27
CARE OF THE AGED
General.—AX the end of the year there were 685 (630) names on
the register of old people who are visited regularly. In addition 28
(35) other elderly people were visited but not put on the register as
regular visiting was unnecessary. The two Visitors made 3,818
(3,221) visits and the Public Health Inspectors 45 (26) visits to old
people during the year.
Home bathing.—Seventy-one (66) persons were given 1,967
(1,337) baths at home during the year.
Laundering of Linen.—The number of cases being dealt with at
the end of the year by the laundry service was 30 (24). Sixty-one (60)
people received help from the service during the year.
National Assistance Acts.—-It was not found necessary to apply
to the Court for the compulsory removal to hospital of any person
during the year.
Holiday Home.—The following guests were accommodated at
"Kincardine". Guests stay for a fortnight during January,
February, March and November and for a week during the remainder
of the year.
No. of applications received 795
No. of Guests accommodated 567
Applicants refusing holiday offered:—
Date offered unacceptable 25
Private reasons 34
Illness 64
Death of applicant, friend or relative 9
Removed from borough subsequent to
offer 18
Private holiday taken 10
Obtained employment 4
Applicants not offered a holiday:—
Removed from borough 1
Died 10
Single rooms not available 34
Special date not available –
Priority not reached 19
Of the 567 guests accommodated, 94 were having their first
holiday at the Home. At Christmas a further sixteen guests, nine of
whom had not been to the Home before, were selected from
fifty-four applicants and spent a week at the Home.
In addition to the services provided by the Paddington Borough
Council for the elderly, a number of voluntary organisations provide
the following services which enable the elderly person to remain at
home:—
Meals.—In Paddington the provision of hot meals at the home
of the elderly devolves mainly on the Women's Voluntary Services,
who deliver meals twice a week to any one person, the service being
restricted to the housebound only. The Salvation Army also supply
meals twice a week at their Goodwill Centre.
The Invalid Meals Service, organised by the London County
Council has, of course, a wider scope than meals for the elderly
and is used for appropriate cases.