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26
Care of the Aged and Infirm.
It was reported last year that the problem of the aged and infirm
living on their own had been causing increasing concern to the Department.
1949 has proved no exception and no less than 93 further cases have been
brought to the notice of the Department during the year. Altogether.
267 cases of old people living on their own with involved problems of
some sort or other, have been the subject of visits by the Sanitary
Inspectors. It has not been necessary however to invoke the provisions
of the National Assistance Act in regard to compulsory removal. Oneaspect
of this problem has proved easier than has been the case in recent
years, and that is the removal of some of the aged folk able to look after
themselves to the Homes for the Aged provided by the London County
Council, who have been successful in removing in many respects the
old institutional atmosphere. The Home Help service of the London
Comity Council has rendered valuable service, even carrying out work
for these lonely aged people after normal working hours and during
week-ends and. the District Nurses have likewise sacrificed their leisure
where and when they were needed.
The Inspectors have found it advantageous to these old people to
enlist the help of other tenants in the house, and in many instances found
that it was invariably given with a marked degree of unselfishness. In
some cases it has been possible to trace relatives or old friends who on
being informed of the circumstances often endeavour to do their best to
help.
The problem however still remains, and even when suitable homes
can be made available to all, it is extremely doubtful if many of the
independent type of old person would be prepared to avail themselves of
the opportunity of passing their last years away from the room and its
furniture to which they have become so accustomed for many years.
Mobile Meals Service.
The Westminster Division of the British Red Cross Society continued
to operate a meals delivery service for aged people and others in the City
who are unable to provide themselves with hot mid-day meals.
The meals are purchased by the British Red Cross Society from a
Londoners' Meal Service Centre at a special price of 8d. per meal for aged
people, and ls. 2d. for others, and delivered in a mobile van to the homes.
The cost of the meal is recovered by the British Red Cross Society from
the recipients.
The names and addresses of those requiring the delivery of hot meals
are submitted to the Society by the Medical Officer of Health weekly.
Some 230 hot meals per week were being delivered by the Societv
under this arrangement at the end of the year, by which time the Societv
was using two vans.
During the year the British Red Cross Society intimated that, in
view of the steadily increasing demand for these meals, it would be
necessary to increase the service by the provision of a third van. The
City Council under the powers conferred by Section 31 of the National