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NATIONAL ASSISTANCE ACT —CARE OF THE AGED.
Under Section 47 of the above Act, power is given to the Councils
of County Boroughs and County Districts to apply to a Court of Summary
Jurisdiction for an Order for removal and detention, in a suitable
hospital or other place, of persons who
(a) are suffering from grave chronic disease, or, being aged,
infirm or physically incapacitated, are living in insanitary
conditions; and
(b) are unable to devote to themselves, and are not receiving from
other persons, proper care and attention.
The 1951 National Assistance (Amendment) Act enables Local
Authorities to deal more expeditiously with very urgent cases by initial
removal, for a period not exceeding three weeks.
The care of the aged, infirm and chronic sick continues as one of
the major problems of the present day.
The problems are considerable and unusual, and the solution to
many of them is complicated by the personalities of the patients themselves.
Many of these old people become dirty and neglected, not
necessarily because of poverty, but often due to the fact that they have
outlived their relatives and friends, have become unable to help themselves,
and strongly resent any approach that is made to them. Many
are not ill but being unable adequately to care for themselves can become
completely incapacitated through quite trivial illnesses. There
are those who will not accept the domiciliary services which are available
and those who resolutely refuse to lose their independence and
enter a Home or hospital.
Generally these problems are resolved by perseverance and persuasion,
and it is pleasing to report that it was not necessary to resort
to any statutory action under the above Acts during 1957.
Although it cannot yet be said that the problems associated with
the care of the aged are diminishing, there are encouraging signs that
there is a far greater awareness among the general public of the difficulties
involved, and statutory and voluntary bodies are now tackling the
problem in earnest.
In Wimbledon we are most fortunate in having a number of excellent
voluntary organisations including the Guild of Social Welfare
with its own Geriatric Social Worker, and there is the closest co-operation
between these organisations, the Geriatrician and Geriatric Social
Worker of St. Helier Hospital, the Divisional Welfare Officer, local
doctors, and your Medical Officer of Health. Every effort is made to
ensure that any old person in need of care and attention is visited
regularly and receives the benefit of the services which are available.
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