View report page

93
Certain Difficulties in Administration.
(a) Selection of Cases for Help.
As long as the demand for help is greater than the available
supply of helpers, it will be necessary to select cases on grounds
of need and urgency. In the past, priority has been given to
(maternity cases and to cases of acute illness or emergency, and an
endeavour has been made to supply a large number of applicants
with a little help rather than a few applicants with much. Difficulties
and disappointments are bound to arise under such circumstances.
For instance, help may have been promised in a necessitous case,
but this arrangement may be upset by a confinement taking place
say a month before it is due. The only way to meet the situation
is by withdrawing a helper from a chronic case, but the chronic
case is aggrieved because he/she has been "let down". Difficulties
such as these can generally be dealt with by tactful explanation
of the circumstances, and it says much for the operation of the
service so far that complaints have been so few.
(b) The Chronic Case.
Of the cases still being helped, six were receiving help before
5th July last. The disabilities from which these six persons are
suffering are: arthritis (3); cancer (2); bronchitis and asthma (1);
and unfortunately these disabilities are likely to persist as long as
the patients live. Even if hospital accommodation were available,
there is no power to enforce removal of these cases to hospital.
On humanitarian grounds they require help, but the question is
whether it is the duty of the Domestic Help Service to continue
such help uninterruptedly for the duration of life. If so, it is only
a matter of time before the service becomes overloaded with
chronic cases.
(c) The Infectious Case.
Owing to the lack of sanatorium and hospital accommodation
for persons suffering from tuberculosis, applications are now being
received for domestic help on behalf of persons suffering from
tuberculosis, and such applications are likely to increase as soon
as it becomes known that domestic help is available. Here, as in
the cases mentioned above, help is indicated on humanitarian
grounds, and such help as is given may be required for a very long
time; but there are certain legal and administrative aspects
requiring consideration.