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73
The Home Nursing and Domestic Help Service of the County
Council were only maintained with difficulty because of sickness
amongst Home Nurses and Domestic Helps.
Considerable and welcome help has been available from the
Local Organisation of the St. John Ambulance Brigade.
G.—MISCELLANEOUS
1. Old People's Welfare.
(a) General. The Town Clerk, as Honorary Secretary of the
Old People's Welfare Committee, states that 15,227 meals were
provided during 1953. The monthly totals varied between a mini'
mum of 1,090 in February to a maximum of 1,423 in July. Five
rounds are in operation on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. There
were 45 voluntary helpers at the end of the year, but more were
required.
An increasing amount of time of the medical, health visiting,
home nursing and domestic help services and of the sanitary inspectorate
was required in regard to old people's welfare. The need
appears to be for increased services in the following directions,
especially those which help in assisting with domiciliary treatment:
(1) "Meals on Wheels" daily. (2) Laundry facilities for the
incontinent. (3) Ample home nursing and domestic help facilities,
including week-end help. (4) Increased chiropody facilities. (5)
Companionship, sitters-in and occupational therapy. (6) Increased
Part III accommodation and long and short stay annexes.
The Glasspool Trust has again been ready to help in cases of
hardship, particularly with the supply of bedding.
The Area Officer of the National Assistance Board has again
been most co-operative and has been helpful in making money
grants for bedding, clothing and laundry; this is supplemented by
the Health Department by the retention of mattresses and other
items removed at the request of the owners for destruction after
infectious disease. Where some use remains, the mattresses are
steam disinfected and given to persons in need. The following
items were supplied : Mattresses 12; Pillow cases 6; Blankets 3;
Bedsteads 3; Shoes 2 pairs; Chair 1 and Dressing Gown 1.
Towards the end of the year it was agreed to commence a
pilot scheme for laundering bed linen and nightwear of patients
suffering from incontinence. This was commenced during 1954.
(b) Public Conference. In March, the Walthamstow Old
People s Welfare Committee convened a public conference on