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Periodical friendly visits are paid to them by the Supervising
Nurse, and if at any future time any of them show signs of deterioration
they will be re-examined and certified if necessary.
Supervision.
On the 31st December, 1930, there were 402 Mental Defectives
on the register, of which number 243 (140 Males and 103
Females) were under Statutory Supervision in their own homes.
Supervision is carried out by a specially trained Nurse, who has.
had very considerable experience in this kind of work. All of
these cases are visited at intervals of from one to three months,
according to the circumstances of the individual case. Unfortunately
a number of these patients are only under supervision
because no institutional accommodation is available for them, and
it is in such cases that supervision is not very satisfactory. The
parents of such defectives are usually very anxious that they
should be admitted into an institution, and as no assistance is
afforded them it is not unnatural that the nurse's visits are not
welcome, and that information regarding the defective is sometimes
withheld. As regards the remainder, supervision is a simple
and inexpensive method of dealing with well-behaved defectives
living in good homes.
Occupation Centres.
A mentally defective person is, by reason of his instability, a
menace and a burden to society, especially when he is untrained
and uncontrolled, and while it would appear that institutional care
is a very efficient remedy, it is a very expensive one. Institutions
must be provided, of course, but many defectives can be given
suitable training and occupation while remaining under supervision
at home. It is agreed that even defectives living in really
good homes are liable to deteriorate without suitable occupation
and training, and if these can be provided for that class of defective
the eventual need for institutional accommodation for them
would be obviated.
In addition to providing the necessary training for defectives
under supervision, the establishment cf these centres would
have the effect of partly relieving the parents or guardians of their
very onerous and trying duties in so far that the defectives would
be away from home for part of the day. Moreover, it is generally
admitted that mental defectives are more contented and more
easily controlled when engaged in some suitable occupation.
Colony Accommodation.
With the coming into operation of the Local Government Act,
1929, the Forest Gate Hospital (one of the late West Ham Guardians'
institutions) comes under the control of the Council. This
hospital has been approved by the Board of Control for the reception
of seventy-five certified mental defectives, as follows : Twenty
adult males ; thirty adult females ; ten males under 16 years of age;
and fifteen females under 16 years of age.
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