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Care of the Aged
Once again it is my pleasure to report on the steps which are being taken
to care for aged persons living in the Borough.
The centralisation of this work is entrusted to the St Pancras Association
for the Care of the Agedv a voluntary Association consisting of members of the
Council and representatives of the various voluntary agencies in the Borough.
It also receives most valuable help and co operation from the local branches of
the National Assistance Board and the Home Help Service of the London County
Council.
The object of the Association is to protect the health of elderly persons
living in the Borough and to bring to them a sense of friendship and happiness
The fundamental work of the Association consists in visiting old people when
they are well and taking such steps as may be possible to keep them so. The
Association now employs three whole time qualified nurses who visit all cases
referred to them as being in need of advice In addition, and this is their main
work, they keep under observation all those elderly persons living in the specific
parts of the Borough for which they are responsible, and it is our hope that
they may thus by timely help and advice prevent much of that ill health and
unhappiness of old age with which we have unfortunately come in contact It is
still too early to judge the effect of this work and I would not like to go
further than to say that I have some impression that the number of cases of
distressing conditions referred to us tends to diminish.
I can add little to the remarks and conclusions of my annual report to you
for the year 1953 Insofar as statistics are concerned, the following facts will
be of interest.
9,074 meals were provided to old people in their own homes This means that
approximately 30 40 people were provided with five meals per week throughout
the year.
In addition to this 6 815 meal vouchers were issued to enable old persons
to have a meal at a reduced price at a local restaurant of their choice
When schemes for the provision of meals to old people were first considered
the Executive Committee of the St Pancras Association for the Care of the Aged
felt that the demand might be so heavy that it would not be within the compass
of the finances of the Association to meet all the requests that would be made
This, however, has not been so Meals in their homes are provided to those old
people who are more or less bedridden or housebound whilst assisted meals in
various restaurants are for those who are unable or have not the facilities to
obtain a meal in their own homes Very few if any requests have been refused
and the Committee have been somewhat surprised to find how few are the old persons
who have required help in this direction.
During the course of the year a wireless set was supplied to 30 old persons.
At the beginning of June 1955 there were 80 wireless sets on loan and I cannot
exaggerate the happiness which this side of our work has brought to the old
people in the borough.
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