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59
HOME HELP SERVICE
The home help service is provided to meet the needs of
people who for various reasons such as home confinement, sickness or
old age, are either temporarily or permanently unable to carry out
housework or need assistance towards such tasks as shopping, cleaning
or washing. The service is provided on the recommendation of the
family doctor and the amount of service is assessed on need by the
home help supervisor, and on availability of home helps. A charge
is made based on the cost of the service, but is reduced according to
the recipient's means, where necessary.
The establishment of the equivalent of 60 full-time home
helps has never been reached, and at 31st December 1968 there were
73 home helps, equivalent to 39 full-time staff.
Advertisements in the local press and postcards in shop
windows etc. brought many enquiries, but most persons withdrew when
the full implications of the work were explained.
The home help service offers a rewarding job for anyone
interested in helping those in need. It is not just dull repetitive
work but involves meeting people and giving social help and
encouragement as well as domestic assistance.
The recruitment difficulties have resulted in heavy pressure
on existing staff which has in some instances proved inadequate to
meet the demands on the service.

The total number of hours devoted to patients by the home
help service was 70,823.