View report page

26
a guaranteed vacancy in a Nursing Home or unable to afford Nursing
Home fees. These were admitted to the Geriatric Unit or St. George's
Hospital, Homchurch.
Ten persons were sent to seaside boarding houses in May,
or September, and were given financial help from cash allocated
by the Mayor, or from what remained of a small legacy set aside
for this particular purpose. This money has now been exhausted.
I acknowledge with sincere gratitude the co-operation of Miss
Short, Matron of The John Beech Home, 215-217 Chingford Mount
Road, E.4. who has kindly accepted persons who by reason of
very advanced age, or some handicap such as near blindness or
severe deafness of a degree not helped by a hearing aid, were not
acceptable elsewhere. Some of these old folk needed quite a lot of
supervision and much of the extra work involved was undertaken by
the Matron personally. I learned by chance that she frequently
surrenders her off duty time during the summer months.
Matron also took several who did not really wish to go away
at all, and some who wanted a change from home but did not feel
able to make a journey.
Those who had gone under pressure from their families and
against their own wishes all enjoyed their stay and spoke appreciatively
of the meals provided and of the friendliness of the small
staff who have to work very hard.
I would ask anyone who is advising a family on the matter of
holidays to emphasize that if they want help in placing an old person
the very longest possible notice is important; that they should not
take it for granted that two weeks' board and lodging anywhere can
be provided free of charge, and that it makes it much easier to
guarantee help if the holiday can be in May, early June, or September.
One very time consuming factor of the work is the large number
of telephone enquiries received. These average 10 a day. Over 100
relatives sought advice upon problems due to senility. The care of
mentally confused persons, particularly the physically fit confused,
present difficulties undreamed of by those who have never lived with
them. Nursing them in some Hospital or other communal establishment
is not comparable, since a nurse or attendant has off duty
periods during which she is relieved of all responsibility for the
patients. Some relatives are never off duty, they may even have