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Known disabilities:-
Mental Illness 8
Physically Handicapped 3
Epileptic 2
Registered Blind 2
Thirty five members have a dinner each day. The attendance of the remainder varies
from once to four times each week.
Objectives
The aim of the Welfare Catering Service is to supplement the diet of the elderly and
handicapped to enable them to live independent lives in their own homes, but much remains
to be done if the objective is to be reached. The number of retired men and women continues
to grow but there has been no development in the size of the service for a long time. When
the financial resources are available to permit expansion these services should receive high
priority.
Research carried out in 1965 into the dietary of elderly women living alone, concluded
that domiciliary and club meals are of great potential value but should be provided four or
more times a week in order to have an effective influence on the total dietary standard. These
findings were echoed during 1970 by a circular issued by the Department of Health and Social
Security, which drew attention to the fact that Meals Services make a significant contribution
to nutrition only if they ensure to the consumer at least five hot main meals a week. Many of
our elderly people are receiving meals only twice and three times a week and some not at all.
Additional rounds will be necessary if we are to achieve the desired standard. No meals at
all are provided at weekends and a better standard of service would be given if we could
reduce our existing rounds from 50 to 40 recipients.
Luncheon Clubs are provided in premises which, although adequate, can be somewhat
cheerless in the depths of winter and in any case would be much better associated with
Social Clubs such as the Alice Burrell Centre, where comfortable facilities exist for relaxation
T.V., Cards and Billiards.
However, much has already been done and it is interesting to recall that a substantial
part of the service described has been developed in the five short years since London Government
was re-organised in 1965.
Health Education
Health Education is one of the primary methods of preventive medicine, but much
research is needed to devise the most effective techniques. One of the main problems today
is to discover why people of all ages, knowing the danger of smoking and drugs, still persist
in dabbling, often to their decease?
Considerable quantities of leaflets are handed out, posters displayed and lectures
given, but are we getting any nearer solving the problems? Cases come to light of persons
who, realising the dangers, have turned the corner to a better and healthier life, but this is
just skimming the surface, what about the hard core? Do people care?, are we becoming
fatalists, "what has to be will be"?
Nevertheless we must press on and upward on the hard path of reality, the older to
take more interest in the young, teaching not only by word of mouth but by example.
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