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39 persons. It tends to be taken for granted by relatives that there
will be no charge, that the persons will be conveyed from door to
door, either by Ambulance or by a car provided by the Council, that
the old person should have a single room, that all bedrooms should
be on a ground floor, and that special diets will be available. That
it was possible to arrange for all these persons to be cared for at
all was due to the relaxing of rules, and sacrificing of off duty time
by Matrons and Proprietors; and the giving up of time at weekends
by car owners who gave voluntary and free transport. Despite this
there were numerous telephone calls about last minute cancellations,
disputes about agreed charges, old persons causing disturbances,
and relatives failing to return home on the day stated; and some old
persons complained about the drivers who so kindly undertook the
voluntary transport.
It would help if Doctors, relatives and other interested persons
would be absolutely honest when recommending recuperative holidays,
and relief for families. "Can use stairs" is sometimes found
to mean that the patient manages to scramble up on hands and knees
once a day. "Forgetful" is used to describe all degrees of mental
deterioration from mild absentmindedness to severe senile dementia.
An old person who becomes disorientated at night and wanders into
other visitors' rooms can be a great problem, and if the relatives
have gone abroad or are touring the country by car so that they cannot
be contacted a great deal of trouble results. The majority of
Proprietors and Matrons are very tolerant and continue to accept old
persons through us despite these unfortunate incidents. What is
needed is more Part 3 accommodation which could be set aside for
short stays from May to October each year, or some specific premises
provided by the local authority for the short term care of old
persons needing some help and supervision but not Hospital admission.
It would then be possible to provide relief when younger
members of the household are ill, or very tired, as well as during
the holiday season.
Problems concerning housing accommodation numbered 109 and
many of the 254 interviews I gave were connected with these particular
cases. I estimate that they were the subject of 300 telephone
calls from interested parties. Some persons were required to leave
their accommodation under the terms of the Rent Act, others lived
in properties the owners of which died, and were being pressed by
solicitors acting for the deceased persons beneficiaries. Some were
being asked to leave by sons and sons-in-law whose offspring had
reached an age at which singly occupied bedrooms were desirable.
Sons and daughters are sometimes quite ruthless in their treatment
of ageing parents. Accommodation problems could often be overcome