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21. Of the 174 new admissions, only 22% were in respect of
elderly people residing with relatives compared with 40% the
previous year. This may be due to the increased support available
from social workers and domiciliary services as well as expanding
day care arrangements referred to in paragraph 27.
22. The average age of new residents has risen to 82 years and is
in accordance with the national trend. The Annual Report of the
Ministry of Health for 1966 indicates that 31.5% of accommodation
provided by local authorities, directly or through voluntary
organisations, was for people aged 85 or over. In the Bromley
local authority homes 47% of residents at 31st March, 1967, were
in this age group. Of the 398 elderly people accommodated, at the
end of the year under review. 320 (80%) had a stay not exceeding
3 years. This conformed to the pattern observed in 1965/66.
23. There were 186 discharges from permanent residential care
during the year, 96 (51%) of which were admitted to hospital and
36 were transfers, again accounted for mainly by the vacation of
accommodation at Orpington Hospital. Where residents are
admitted to hospital, the policy is for their accommodation to be
reserved until an indication is given by the hospital authorities
that they are not likely to return. This is essential if residents are
to feel that the home is to offer security. It is also one of the
strongest arguments for resisting pressure to adopt exchange
systems which can result in a bed being filled promptly but then
prevents a person going into hospital from returning to a home and
a bedroom with which they are familiar and which they regard as
theirs. The resultant wastage in bed occupancy is a small price to
pay for the application of this policy.
24. The number of deaths in residential homes numbered 48 (25%
of the total discharge rate or 32% if transfers to other homes are
excluded). This is an indication that the staff of residential homes
make an important contribution in terminal care. Only 6 residents
returned to the care of relatives or to their own homes. These
statistics exclude the short term care arrangements which, for the
first time, are dealt with separately.
Short-Term Care
25. As indicated in the previous year's Report, a number of places
in residential homes are reserved for the short term care of elderly
people residing in their own homes or with relatives. This service
is becoming more widely known and is now used throughout the
year. The number of admissions for short term care was 123,
representing a 100% increase when compared with the first year
of operation in the new borough. Of these, 31% were men and this
is the same percentage of men who were admitted for permanent
care. It is significant that 100 (or 81%) of those admitted for
short term care were elderly people residing with relatives. This is
an indication of the value of such a scheme in providing support