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107
Vaccination Exhibition and Film Show. - With the cooperation
of the County Medical Officer, a vaccination topic was
exhibited at the various Welfare Centres in the Borough and at the
Central School Clinic at the Town Hall between the 21st November
and the 16th December, 1955, and a film was shown in conjunction
with the Exhibition.
Prevention of Accidents in the Home.—In June a circular was
addressed to the Head Teachers of Secondary Schools, pointing out
that in ten years in England and Wales there were 60,000 deaths
from home accidents as compared with 48,000 deaths from road
accidents, that there was, unfortunately, little information in regard
to non-fatal accidents, and that the majority of home accidents were
preventable. It was felt that the schools could play an important
part in drawing attention to the elementary precautions which could
and should be taken in the home. A list of suggestions was therefore
sent out to the Head Teachers of Secondary Schools with a
view to their incorporation in the Housecraft Syllabus for Girls and
in the Science Syllabus for Boys. In addition it was stated that
there were a number of film strips available on the subject and chat
where necessary it would be possible to arrange for school nurses to
give talks on the subject.
OLD PEOPLE'S WELFARE
Visit to Langthorne Hospital
In November eight each of the Health Visitors, Home Nurses
and Domestic Helps attended a talk and dinner at Langthorne
Hospital given by Dr. DeLargy, Consultant Geriatrician. Reference
was made to the healthy aged, the infirm and the acutely ill, the
increasing percentage of the population who were reaching old age,
and the basic necessities of old people, i.e., occupation, home life,
affection and the "need to be needed."
Dr. DeLargy stressed the harm resulting from prolonged bed
rest and that the chief single cause of making old people nonambulant
was comparatively minor foot conditions remediable by
chiropody. One of the more potent causes of incontinence in the
elderly was the difficulty and disinclination of using the outside
" backyard " toilet, which exists in so many houses.
DOMESTIC HELP SERVICE
(Section 29)
Repeated advertisement was carried out and towards the end
of the year and at the beginning of 1956 (with the help of the
Housing Manager of the Borough Council) a special appeal was
circulated to over 2,500 tenants of Council property.
The response to all these measures was insignificant and did
not relieve the need for more help.