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provision of Welfare Services under Sections 29 and 30 of the
National Assistance Act, 1948. The grouping of disabilities in
the Register is in accordance with the Medical Research Council
Code of diseases and disabilities.
The number of persons registered increased by 297 compared
with an increase of 102 the previous year. This increased number
of new registrations reflects the growing awareness of the public of
the various services which are available to handicapped people.
It is an indication that a continuing expansion of these services
will be required for some time to come if resources are to be
available to meet the needs of all handicapped persons in the
Borough. A total of 925 persons were registered as at 31st March,
1968.
Of the 297 new registrations the majority (203) fell within the
categories denoting organic nervous diseases or arthritis and
rheumatism.
Social welfare officers made 2,245 visits to the homes of
handicapped persons during the year, an increase of 23%. The
pressures on social welfare officers' time are such that routine visits
are not generally possible—the increased number of visits, therefore,
were largely made for specific purposes.
Adaptation to Property
The homes of 54 handicapped persons were adapted to help
them overcome the effects of their disabilities. The cost of the
adaptations varied from £3 for the installation of a handrail on a
staircase to £348 for building an outside toilet and enclosed loggia.
This extensive adaptation was carried out for the benefit of a
young girl with spina bifida who had extreme difficulty in climbing
the stairs to get to the toilet in the house.
At the home of a client suffering from terminal renal failure
adaptations were carried out so that haemodialysis equipment
(kidney machine) could be installed. This enables the individual to
have treatment at home and so continue to do a full week's work
and lead a normal family life.
In the case of a severely paralysed person, co-operation with
the Department of Health and Social Security led to the installation
of a "Possum" (patient operated selector mechanism) device. This
equipment, costing several hundred pounds, is provided under the
National Health Service and enables a severely disabled person
to operate a range of electrical equipment by mouth or other small
physical movements. The unit gives an on/off control over a number
of electrical functions, including an alarm (bell and buzzer), an
intercom link to the front door coupled with a door lock (to allow
the "Possum" user to interrogate and if necessary let in visitors),
heat, telephone, radio and light. The installation is designed to
give the client an increased degree of independence.