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Case No.6
Two children aged 4 and 7 years. Patient has cancer of lung and is receiving radiotherapy at
this time.
Help is given two hours daily.
Case No.7
Three children aged six years and under. Patient has cancer of lung with secondaries. She is
unable to walk and is confined to house.
Help is given two hours daily.
Neighbourly Help Service
This service continues to function satisfactorily and during the year ten cases were served.
Five cases were still receiving service at the end of the year.
ADVICE CLINICS FOR THE ELDERLY
These operated from three centres during the year and included in their clientele a small but
gradually increasing proportion of women. The Tottenham Clinic moved from Somerset Road to the
more spacious surroundings of Park Lane Clinic; and with Stuart Villa Clinic demolished to make way
for a new health centre and the accommodation at Woodside House made over to a psycho-geriatric
unit, the Wood Green Clinic re-established itself at White Hart Lane Clinic. The Hornsey Clinic
continued at Weston Park. A total of 70 sessions was held; 44 in Tottenham, 10 in Wood Green and
16 in Hornsey. There were 25 new cases in Tottenham and 179 re-attendances; the numbers for
Wood Green were 2 and 60 respectively; while those for Hornsey were 13 and 54. The totals of new
cases were 40 (compared with 35 in 1967) and of re-attendances, 293 (compared with 290 in 1967).
Each clinic was run by a medical officer assisted by a clinic nurse, and advice was given on
health and diet, medical examinations being carried out when clients were willing. General
practitioners were informed of any significant findings, and other agencies, i.e. old people's welfare
organisers, the Chief Welfare Officer, etc. were contacted when necessary. A number of chiropody
appointments were requested. The Department of Employment and Productivity co-operated by
referring a large proportion of the new cases, and advising some of the clients regarding part-time
work. Unfortunately the number of posts available is limited, and it would seem that here, as in
other parts of the country, the Ministry is not geared to obtaining information about the kind of
employment best suited to older people. In his booklet "Pensioners in Search of a Job", published
by the Pre-Retirement Association, F. Le Gros Clark produces evidence that there are many openings
for part-time "service" labour - in private households, clubs, public houses, places of worship,
retail shops, institutions and so on - and that what is needed is a local source of information run by
voluntary workers to bring them to the attention of employers. It is well known how difficult it is
to find people for these kind of jobs. Hornsey Old People's Welfare Council is now developing a
valuable agency service and the two other Old People's Welfare Committees have placed individual
applicants. A considerable expansion of all these would solve staffing problems for many employers
as well as providing happy, useful employment for many of our older citizens.
As regards the Retirement Advice Clinics themselves, one cannot avoid the impression that they
are not developing as fast as they ought. Indeed, attendances have been virtually the same for two
years. It cannot be said that they are not known to the older people of Haringey, for they have been
widely advertised in their clubs. The reason is probably more deep-seated. A clinic of this kind
cannot exist in isolation, but has to be linked closely with the community outside. But for some time
we have been seriously short of health visitors. The clinic nurse is usually one who happens not to
be required for other duties, and so it has been difficult to build up any continuity in the nursing staff.
Moreover, of the two people running this kind of clinic, the nurse is the one of greater importance.
Ideally, she would be able to visit the clients in their homes. In practice, this is not possible. The
solution lies in the appointment of geriatric visitors, who would be based in clinics and work for the
older people in the district in a similar way to health visitors in their care for children.
Unfortunately, although provision was made for geriatric visitors in two succeeding annual estimates,
financial stringency compelled their removal before any appointments could be made. Therefore in
the field of the care of the elderly, as in many others, lack of resources is delaying the development
of the service.
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