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THE HEALTH OF BARKING
SECTION A.
STATISTICS AND SOCIAL CONDITIONS OF THE AREA.
Birth Rate and Old Age.
Although the birth rate has gone up very considerably during the past few years,
the population of Barking still reflects the effects of the falling birth rate which
obtained for so many years previously. It is not anticipated that the birth rate will
be maintained at its present high level of 20.6. I have no doubt that not only
Barking but other towns in the country also, and, indeed, most civilised countries,
will be faced with the problem of an increasing number of old people.
The expectation of life has increased during the last half century, due, amongst
other factors, to the growth of scientific medical knowledge and also to improvements
in the social conditions under which the majority of people live.
As at present advised, I believe that old age pensioners have a very considerable
increased expectation of life and I have been told that by reason of this the financial
cost of their pensions proved, even in the early days, more than had been anticipated.
This ever-increasing proportion of old people brings many problems in its train
and for this reason I particularly welcome the attention focussed by the Nuffield
Report and elsewhere on this aspect of our future. I think the Barking population
may probably be less affected at the present day, for this reason, that even before the
war you had begun to grapple with some aspects of the problem and made a start
by providing some variety of houses suitable for old people; further, you have made
some provisions for the aged in your future housing programme.
The problem of providing homes suitable for people of advanced years is
linked up with the need for hospital beds for people, who, by reason of infirmity or
chronic ill-health cannot be suitably accommodated under existing conditions
I feel sure that the more these old people are suitably accommodated, the less will
be the demand on such hospital and institutional beds. Already in the town you
have made a good start with regard to alleviating the loneliness from which so many
old people genuinely suffer, and too much attention cannot be focussed on the
very good start which has been made with the intent that this movement shall grow
and flourish.
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