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Rehabilitation of Tuberculosis Patients
During the year the Area Sub-Committee accepted financial
responsibility in one case for a patient undergoing rehabilitation at
Preston Hall Settlement. No charge is made to the patient.
Recuperative Holidays
The Local Health Authority are empowered to provide
recuperative holidays for persons not in need of medical or nursing
attention and during the year 15 cases from the Borough have been
sent away. The length of convalescence was two weeks in each
case.
Domestic Help Service
The Domestic Help Organiser reports as follows:
The year 1956 showed a steady increase in applications for
Domestic Help.
The service continues to be administered as in previous years, and
all cases are visited as frequently as possible—a total of 730 visits
being made throughout the year.
50 per cent of the patients receiving help are in the category
Chronic Aged, and help varies for these from as little as two hours
per week for the heavy cleaning to 20 hours per week, which
provides a split service, covering three meals a day. Belations are
encouraged to help bedridden aged patients on Sundays.
A total of 9 full-time and 45 part-time domestic helps is employed
to attend to the varied wants of 196 patients.
During the holiday period it was necessary to drastically cut, and
in some cases leave the patients without, assistance. This, however,
was kept to the minimum, and care was taken to see that no one
completely dependent on the Domestic Help service was left
unattended.
No new requests for help in T.B. households have been received,
and those already receiving help are closely watched and assistance
given in accordance with the recommendations of the Chest Clinic.
The aged chronic sick continue to grow in numbers, and are an
increasing problem. Every effort is made to provide help according
to the essential needs of these people, but many would benefit from
a little extra help were the labour situation not so acute.
Liaison with the District Nurses, Health Visitors and Hospital
Almoners is good, the aged and sick benefitting from the joint effort.
The W.V.S. "Meals on Wheels" service continues to render
invaluable assistance, providing meals on Wednesdays and Fridays.
During the last few months of the year, the scope of the
Domestic Help service has widened to include homes deprived of
one parent, thus enabling the family to remain as a complete unit,
rather than that the children are separated and sent to Foster homes.
One can foresee this side of the service developing rapidly in the
near future.
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