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31
Window Cards. In a number of districts arrangements are made
for the aged people to have cards which they can exhibit in their front
windows in case of emergency. The Old People's Welfare Committee
resolved to introduce such an arrangement in this district.
Chiropody. Although the Middlesex County Council agreed to
provide a chiropody service for certain priority classes, which include the
aged, the service they have been able to offer has been restricted because
of their inability to recruit staff to hold sessions at their clinics. Many of
the local chiropodists practising in the area would have been prepared to
help by accepting the elderly for treatment at their own surgeries, but they
were not prepared to take sessions at the clinics. On the other hand, the
County Council would not agree to arrangements being made for these
old people to be treated on their behalf at the practitioners' surgeries.
Up to the time that the County Council provided the service, the British
Red Cross Society were the only body who offered treatment. They
received grants from the authorities for this work. When, however, the
County Council assumed responsibility for this service, they set a limit to
the number of cases the Red Cross Society could take on. In view of the
very limited service the Authority could offer, owing to limitation of staff,
this was especially unfortunate as it prevented any expansion of the service
by the Society who it seems were able to do what the County Council
could not in obtaining local chiropodists willing to attend their clinics.
Still more unfortunate was the effect on the homebound people who needed
treatment. The Red Cross Society used to arrange this but had to discontinue
accepting any more patients. On the other hand, the local
authority was not able to send the choripodist to treat these homebound
patients as such work could have been done only at the expense of the
numbers who could have been treated at the clinic at that time.
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 5fd. per
article. At the beginning of last year, ten persons were being helped.
During the year there were requests to help a further sixteen cases. Because
of death or removal from the district, the number provided with
help at the end of the year was eighteen.
A number of local launderettes operate a special service to old age
Pensioners at reduced charges. In addition to the Belmont and Harrow
eald launderettes which previously helped in this way, assistance can
now be given to those in the Honeypot Lane, Hatch End and Pinner areas.
Housing. The Housing Committee decided that safety rails be
fitted to the baths in the dwellings of old people.