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59
G.—MISCELLANEOUS
1. Old People's Welfare.
(a) General. The Town Clerk, as Honorary Secretary of the
Walthamstow Old People's Welfare Committee, states that the Committee's
"Meals on Wheels" Service provided 15,415 meals during
1955. Five rounds are now operated on Monday, Wednesday and
Friday. The meals are obtained from the Council's Catering Department
and distributed by voluntary workers in cars hired by the
Committee. This scheme has been in operation in this form since
March, 1948, and is an essential one for old people who would not
otherwise be able to get a cooked meal. More meals could
apparently be served if more volunteers were available to help.
The Committee also provided seven old people's clubs in
different parts of the Borough and shared the expense of a club at
Woodford Green with the Wanstead and Woodford Old People's
Welfare Association.
The Committee continued to act as the co-ordinating committee
for" old people's welfare and maintained close liaison with other
statutory authorities engaged in this work.
The following extracts are from a report circulated by the
Chairman, Alderman Ross Wyld, O.B.E., J.P., and the Secretary,
Mr. G. A. Blakeley, of the Walthamstow Old People's Welfare
Committee :—
Chiropody, Hearing Aids and Spectacles
These services are available in the ordinary way through the
National Health Service but if there is genuine difficulty in getting
an elderly patient to hospital or an optician for eye testing, a visit
to the house can be arranged.
Housing
In Council dwellings and requisitioned property, the Council
tries to meet the need of elderly people for ground floor accommodation.
Generally the Council does not believe in segregating
elderly people from the others but prefers that they should mix in
an ordinary neighbourhood.
Domestic Help
There is a great shortage of helpers, but where domestic help
is needed, the Health Department endeavours to arrange for this
to be provided. It is, however, to be recognised with regret, that
in some cases, relatives seem anxious to avoid giving the help which
they should provide themselves and prefer leaving the matter to
the Local or County Councils.