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The Health Department is represented on the North West Metropolitan Region Geriatric Liaison
Committee in which hospitals, general practitioners and local authorities meet and exchange views
on the care of the elderly. It has fully supported the Committee in its proposals for a psychogeriatric
assessment unit to assist doctors and social workers in the correct placement of sick
old people, whether in geriatric wards in general hospitals, in psychiatric hospitals, in old people's
homes or their own homes. These are difficult decisions which need to be made with the expert
advice of a number of different disciplines, and are of life or death importance.
It has also been useful to learn the opinions and the methods of work of other bodies. It is
significant, for example, that several neighbouring local authorities have appointed Geriatric Visitors
to look after the elderly, and that the Committee has commented on the fact that Haringey has not
yet done so.
Retirement Advice Clinics continued to operate, each clinic being run by a medical officer assisted
by a clinic nurse, advice being given on health and diet, with medical examinations when the
clients were willing. Family doctors were informed of any significant findings, and other agencies
such as the Welfare Department,Old People's Welfare Organisers etc. were contacted when necessary.
The Department of Employment and Productivity kindly referred a large proportion of the clients,
but they are regrettably unable to provide much in the way of employment for this age group.
Retirement at 60 or 65 is an arbitrary arrangement, and the community loses thereby many skilled
and devoted workers. Yet industry and business generally do not seem to be able to provide the
employment exchanges with vacancies, even at a time when it is difficult to find workers for many
essential services. One suspects that a kind of age prejudice is responsible. Nevertheless, the
voluntary employment agency service provided by the Hornsey Old People's Welfare Committee is
continuing to put employers and older people in contact with one another to their mutual benefit.
It is encouraging to learn that the Wood Green Old People's Welfare Committee is undertaking a
similar project.
But although the work of the Retirement Advice Clinics goes on, and indeed in some respects
advances — as for example the case note forms were improved further during the year — they are
still far from fulfilling their true function, and attendances have fallen slightly. A total of 64
sessions were held (as compared with 70 in 1968). Forty of these were in Tottenham, 10 in Wood
Green and 14 in Hornsey. There were 30 first attendances in Tottenham and 175 re-attendances;
4 first attendances in Wood Green and 49 re-attendances; and 8 first attendances in 43 re-attendances
in Hornsey. The totals of new cases were 42 (compared with 40 in 1968) and of re-attendances,
267 (compared with 293 in 1968).
The ultimate aim of these clinics is to hold sessions not unlike child health clinics in pattern.
The Geriatric Visitor would have a greatly increased role because of her increased knowledge of
of the background of the clients. The medical officer would concentrate more on the health of
the individual and would maintain contact with the general practitioner. More older people in need
of help would be found and offered assistance before their problems became desperate. But until
greater resources are made available to this and the other parts of the preventive geriatric services,
the care of old people in Haringey must continue to be a source of anxiety.
CHIROPODY SERVICES
During the year two part time chiropodists ceased to work for the London Borough of Haringey and one
chriopodist was compelled to give up some of his sessional work.
Owing to a general shortage of chiropodists and to the heavy demands on the service it was decided
to ask private chiropodists to participate in a scheme to treat Local Authority patients at their own
surgeries. Seven chiropodists agreed to do so. As a result of this the case load of patients
waiting for first appointments at clinics was considerably reduced. Later two more chiropodists
joined the scheme. The number of patients who were receiving treatment at private surgeries at
the end of the year was 941 compared with 175 in 1968.
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