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The majority of these were advised to call, and I
would like to take this opportunity to ask those who
recommend persons to come to me to suggest to
such persons, that, if possible, an advance 'phone
call be made to enquire the most suitable time to
attend, or an advance letter sent, giving a brief outline
of the problem. If a relative with a different
surname writes upon behalf of an old person, as frequently
occurs, a reminder to quote the name of the
old person is useful. Much unnecessary confusion
arises when, for example, a Mrs. Brown writes to
say, "You saw my mother a year ago, and no doubt
you will remember her case" (mother's name and
address are omitted). With over 500 records in the
files, and memories of contacts with a score of
daughters named Mrs. Brown in the remote corners
of my subconscious mind, such letters set me a
problem. I receive a considerable amount of correspondence,
and replying to it is very time consuming.
Failure to supply names and addresses increases the
work involved, but worst of all it delays attention to
what may be an urgent matter. Likewise failure to
ascertain whether I am likely to be in at a certain
time, leads to disappointments, tired old feet, and
wasted bus fares. On my side, it may lead to being
waylaid just as I am leaving the building to keep an
appointment, or to attend a Committee meeting, and
consequently to making a rather hasty decision about
a problem, or giving an impression of lack of
patience or sympathy. A major portion of my time
is spent interviewing, and my experience is that the
most important factor at any interview is for both
parties to be as relaxed as possible, and to have a
reasonable amount of time for uninterrupted discussion.
Many persons prefer to call at the Office to see
me because of lack of privacy or strained relationships
in their own homes, and it is disconcerting if
they find upon arrival that I am not free to give them
my undivided attention. Even with careful planning,
this is not easy to give, as I receive numerous telephone
calls daily, and it is sometimes necessary to
break off to receive one.
I dealt with 541 cases during the year, and I have
made an analysis of them which I hope may be of
interest. My records reveal that 357 were new cases,