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Tuberculosis
As in previous years, the number of cases remains low, though in the few
cases which are assisted the home helps feel they are making a very big contribution
towards recovery.
Maternity
The free service provided for toxaemia of pregnancy continues to provide
valuable help in a few cases. Unfortunately the Domestic Help Organiser feels
that many people refuse help during confinement because of the charges made.
Care of Children
The service continues the help in the care of children, especially those of
widowers who have to leave for work early in the morning. The home helps go in,
give breakfast and supervise children getting ready for school, and where
necessary take younger children to school.
Acute Sick
Every endeavour is made to help in cases of acute illness, but here again
the Organiser feels that the necessary charge is a bar to people accepting the
service, and they tend to make other arrangements.
Recruitment
Although every care is taken to explain in detail the difficulties of working
in the service when new home helps are engaged, it is not until they are
actually working in the service that the home helps fully appreciate many of
the difficulties. Morale is very high in the home help service, as the home
helps feel that they are playing an important part in contributing to social
welfare. Many of them resent the suggestion that they are just cleaners with no
other function than to carry out housework. There is a great need for them to
be patient and understanding if they are to make life easier and happier for the
people with whom they are to come into contact. Confusion and forgetfulness in
old people can cause considerable irritation unless the home help takes a sympathetic
point of view. It can also cause misunderstandings, as sometimes
happens when an old person, having mislaid some special treasure, accuses the
home help of being responsible. Fortunately, in most cases the mislaid article
is recovered, though until this happens the home help often feels uneasy and
upset, and fortunately these cases are extremely rare.
Training Courses
These are held at Chelmsford, and all those who attend find them most
instructive and helpful. In future consideration will have to be given to
holding local courses.
Personal Contact
The home helps give help to many people outside their working hours; for
instance, one home help takes a younger patient, housebound with arthritis, to a
women's institute meeting once a week, and this has contributed enormously to
the happiness of the patient. As in previous years many Christmas dinners were
supplied and delivered by home helps on Christmas Day.
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