View report page

28
Welfare Committee of a kitchen and restaurant for old people's meals at
each of the North Harrow and Belmont Assembly Halls, including the
provision of meals for service to infirm old people through the W.V.S.
"Meals-on-Wheels" service. A further grant of £230 towards running,
maintenance and garaging of the mobile canteen presented by the
Greater Harrow District Nursing Association Trust was made.
Chiropody. The Ministry authorised Local Health Authorities to
provide a chiropody service, concentrating in the first place on certain
priority classes which include the aged. The Middlesex County Council
submitted to the Ministry proposals under Section 28 of the National
Health Service Act, 1946 "to provide as soon as possible directly for the
extension of the existing chiropody service with priority in the early
stages to the elderly, physically handicapped and expectant mother; and
as an interim measure, pending such direct provision, will consider making
arrangements for the provision of such services through suitable voluntary
organisations." Under this scheme, chiropody treatment is provided at a
standard charge of eight shillings, this being reduced to four shillings for
old age pensioners except that those in receipt of supplementary pensions
and certain cases recommended by the National Assistance Board are
treated free of charge. Because of this, the Harrow Old People's Welfare
Committee no longer receive a grant from the Borough Council in respect
of the provision, in co-operation with the Harrow Division of the British
Red Cross Society, of a chiropody service for needy old people in the
Borough.
Towards the end of the year, a start was made on the arrangements by
which treatment was made available at various of the County Council's
clinics by a chiropodist on the staff of the County Council.
Laundry. For some years the Harrow Council has used its very
restricted powers under Section 84 of the Public Health Act which enables
authorities to arrange for articles to be cleansed in certain circumstances.
The Hendon Group Hospital Management Committee agreed to arrange
for the actual work of treating the articles of clothing and bedding to be
done if the District Council would meet the cost. The present charge is
5¾d. per article. At the beginning of last year, eleven persons were being
helped. During the year there were requests to help a further fourteen
cases. Because of death or removal from the district, the number provided
with help at the end of the year was ten.
A number of local launderettes operate a special service to old age
pensioners at reduced charges. In addition to the Belmont and Harrow
Weald launderettes which previously helped in this way, assistance can
now be given to those in the Honeypot Lane, Hatch End and Pinner areas.
Companionship. Many of the problems of the elderly occur because
they have lost touch with others. It is in providing this companionship
that the luncheon clubs, the Evergreen Clubs, the Darby and Joan clubs
and the Over-sixty Clubs are of such inestimable benefit. Even thoug