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CONVALESCENCE AND
RECUPERATIVE HOLIDAYS
School Health Service
75 school children were admitted to recuperative holiday homes during the year.
Most of the cases referred by the medical officers and general practitioners for convalescent
holidays are children from homes showing economic or social stress, and few only
of the children are sent on purely medical grounds.
Dagenham Children's Care Committee
Seaford Holiday Centre
Two parties of school children went to St. Mary's Bay Holiday Centre, Romney
Marsh, Kent, for a holiday during the summer. 43 children attended the centre this
year. The arrangements were made by the Dagenham Children's Care Committee
and all children were examined at the clinics before they left for their holiday.
Camp Schools
26 children were examined by school medical officers before being admitted or readmitted
to camp schools.
OXLOW LANE CLINIC
FOR THE OVER SIXTIES
The report for 1960 contained a review of the activities of the clinic since its inception,
as well as a table giving details of the ages and the physical and social disabilities
of patients who attended during that year. Activities at the clinic continued during 1961
as in previous years, and as I have reported in the Introduction to this Annual Report I
was not able to give all the time I would have liked to the clinic so that a high proportion
of the patients were seen by Dr. Hodgson.
During the year 222 attendances were made to see the doctor while 569 attendances
were made at the exercise class.
One activity which aroused some interest was the making of a film strip by Camera
Talks called "Food Hints for the Over 6o's." St. George's Hospital Hornchurch,
the Dagenham Old People's Welfare Committee and the Essex County Council cooperated
in providing facilities for many of the photographs. The film strip gives details
of how a balanced diet can be maintained and how certain facilities such as Civic
Restaurants and Luncheon Clubs, as well as Meals on Wheels could help to keep people
healthy. The film strip has been, on the whole, well received.
It is my ambition not only to increase the number of clinics of this type but to link
one of them to a day centre which will provide day care for old people somewhat on the
lines of a day nursery and suggestions to this effect have been included in the 10 year plan.
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