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22
Convalescence.
The Voluntary Committees arrange for all convalescents,
either themselves maintaining convalescent beds or acting as
almoners in finding convalescent vacancies and arranging for
methods of payment for these.
As this work is done in close co-ordination with the professional
staff, there is no overlapping of assistance.
Massage.
Three Massage Clinics are arranged at the Centres by the
Voluntary Committee, and conducted by two trained masseuses.
This fills a long-felt want, and since it has been arranged has
been of the greatest assistance in remedial and preventive work.
Clothing.
Model sets of clothing are arranged by the Voluntary Committee,
and are always on view at the Centre. These may be
bought by the mothers, and instructions are given and classes
held for those who wish to make them. The result has been a
tremendous advance in the clothing of children in the Borough
as the fashion of loose, warm, useful clothing has been set, and
has become popular even amongst those children who are not
directly in contact with the Centres.
Flora Shepherd."
Health Visitors.—The function of the Health Visitors is to
visit the houses of newly-born babies as often as may be requisite,
and to give such advice regarding infant care and management
as the mother may need. They attend also at the Centres and
help at the Medical Consultations. Their work is of great value
in bringing the principles of health into the homes of the people,
and in preventing, by their advice, the onset of much infant illhealth.
They should be able to visit regularly every child from
birth up to the age of five years, when it enters school and comes
under the control of the School Medical Service; but unfortunately
we have only three Health Visitors, and much of their
working time is spent at the Centres and in visiting difficult
cases at the special request of Dr. Shepherd: so necessarily their
other visits have to be curtailed- In spite of this, however, they
visited during the year 4,036 children under one year of age and
3,524 between one and five years old. The Ministry of Health
has recently sanctioned the engagement by us of an additional
Health Visitor.