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list. These are from people who expect the Medical
Officer of Health or myself to be in a position to expedite
admission. I also interview a large number of
callers making enquiries about the accommodation
or complaining that they or their relatives have
waited so long that they have given up hope. Unfortunately
for me, but conveniently for himself, the
Essex County Council's Area Welfare Officer is
sufficiently remote inhis office at Romford to escape
much of the work involved in dealing with these callers.
Old people either cannot travel so far because of a
disability or because they cannot afford the fare and
their relatives find it inconvenient because of their
hours of employment or domestic ties.
The finding of holiday accommodation for the
elderly is now becoming a regular part of my day
to day duties. It is not difficult to find accommodation
for the physically and mentally sound but unfortunately
I am frequently expected to be able to arrange it free
of charge. There is in fact a growing tendency
throughout the country to expect the State to provide
free holidays, free outings and free travel in public
transport to every old age pensioner. It is necessary
to maintain a sense of proportion about such appeals.
With the ever increasing percentage of elderly among
the population, we must take a long term view, and
consider not only whether we can afford these concessions
now but whether there may be twice as
many persons requiring them in ten years time, and
half as many persons in the wage earning age group
of the population to pay the rates, taxes and contributions
which pay for the concessions, bearing in
mind that once such concessions are made withdrawal
is almost impossible. People are inclined to overlook
the fact that many a person in receipt of a state
retirement pension, commonly called "an Old Age
Pensioner" has another income, such as superannuation
or an annuity, and is not a needy person.
He may even have considerable capital in addition to
his incomes.
We are, I believe, in danger throughout the whole
of this country of having a multiplicity of theoretical
schemes or services for the elderly to create an
impression, rather than a few well run reliable