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WELFARE
OLD PEOPLE
During 1963 26 cases of old people in need of care and attention were
brought to the notice of the Public Health Department.
During the year an Order under Section 47 of the National Assistance Act
1948, was obtained for the compulsory removal to an Old People s Home of an old
lady in grave need of care and attention who was refusing to go of her own
accord, but the patient finally went willingly and freely
Details of the 26 cases are as follows
Removed to hospital 5
Removed to Old People' s Home 3
Remained at home
(a) Home Help provided 1
(b) Home Help and Home Nurse provided 4
(c) Home Help and Visitor provided 1
(d) Home Help Home Nurse and Laundry Service
provided 1
(e) Home Help meals and fuel provided 2
(f) Nurse provided 1
(g) Meals provided 1
(h) Meals provided and awaiting Old People3 s Housing 1
(i) Awaiting Old People s Housing 3
(j) Visitor provided all other help refused 1
(k) All help refused 1
(1) No action 1
During the year a total of 368 aged persons or aged chronic sick persons
in the Borough received help from the Home Help Service, and the Home Nurses
dealt with 514 old people out of a total of 751 cases.
These figures compare with 377 aged persons receiving help from the Home
Help Service in 1962 and 483 old persons being visited by the Nurses out of a
total of 783
Information supplied by the County Welfare Officer shows that during the
year 38 old people from the Borough were admitted to Old People s Homes through
the County Welfare Department including six persons previously brought to our
notice (two in 1960 one in 1962 and three in 1963) and three persons from onr
Meals on Wheels Service recipients One of the 1960 cases unfortunately did
not wish to remain returned home and continues to be a problem from time to
time
The County Council has the duty under the National Assistance Act, 1948
of providing residential accommodation for aged and infirm persons in need of
care and attention which is not otherwise available to them and it does this
by admission to its own Homes or by meeting the cost of maintenance in Homes
administered by registered Voluntary Organisations. The County Council s Wei
fare Department is responsible for the County Homes and one such Home (known as
Belfairs in Grove Park Gardens) is situated in the Borough
During 1962 it was decided to broaden the scope of departmental enquiries
into the needs of elderly people Instead of awaiting a call for action when
distress was very great a friendly visit by the Council s Welfare Officer to
persons receiving the Meals on Wheels Service was to be made and an enquiry
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