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The clinic for older people at Church Road, Teddington, continued to cater for
residents of the Borough who have attained the age of about 55 years. The clinic was
held for six sessions per week, and during the year approximately 2650 patients were
seen and of these 241 were new patients.
In July, 1967 a satellite clinic for elderly persons commenced at the Kings Road
Clinic, Richmond. Sixty-one patients were seen (26 new patients). Two further
satellite clinics for one session per week are planned, one at Essex House, Barnes, which
will open in January, 1968 and the other at Hampton Clinic, Station Road, Hampton,
will open later.
General.
To assist in the care and guidance of old people a geriatric health visitor has been
working in the borough since 21.9.66. In addition, a geriatric health visitor jointly
serves the district of Richmond, Kingston, and Esher.
The present plight of many elderly people living alone, unloved, unwanted and
too often in appalling conditions is largely due to the failure of the community as a
whole to look ahead. We have a curious head in the sand attitude to old age in that
nothing is done about it until it is upon us and then too little is done too late. We
have the position of old people occupying too large houses with too many stairs for
them to 'keep up or negotiate, while younger people are urgently in need of accommodation.
This situation could be anticipated by : —
(1) A continuing adequate housing programme for older people.
(2) Education of the public to accept a pattern that when an individual is
approaching retirement age then there should be a move to smaller,
more suitable accommodation. This step should be contemplated and
acted on before the individual becomes too set in his ways to accept
change.
Other preventive measures would include the mobilization of Home Help and
voluntary agencies early enough before conditions have become a major problem. Too
often our care of the elderly is merely a patching up system and "first aid" procedures.
One hopes that short term hospital care for elderly patients in order to relieve
relatives, could be arranged for the area of the Borough on the Middlesex bank of the
River Thames.
Hospital consultants tend to view community services only as far as these services
are adequate to support their discharged patients.
One of the most important roles of Community Medicine is that of prevention.
At present the Home Help Service can only be used where breakdown has already
occurred and because of shortage is faced with allocation according to priority. It
would appear more sensible and in the long run cheaper to provide a Home Help earlier
but less frequently, rather than have to be called in in an emergency, to provide daily
cover.
Compulsory Admission to Hospital.
During the year one case, aged 70, was admitted to hospital under Section 47 of
the National Assistance Act, 1948.
Residential Accommodation.
Mr. J. D. Elliott, D.P.A., A.I.S.W., Chief Welfare Officer, comments: —
"The following table shows the number of persons, analysed by age and sex, who
were, on the 31st December, 1967, either accommodated in one of the Homes under
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