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interests. After twenty minutes we talked again of hospital, and
he agreed to go there. Telephoning the doctor, we informed him
that all was well, his patient was now willing to enter hospital, and
as the doctor had said he had a bed being held vacant for that morning,
he could now proceed with the admission in the usual way.
2. A district sanitary inspector reported that in following up a
complaint, he had found a disabled old man confined to one insanitary
room. On further investigation this case was proved to be so
crippled with arthritis that his days were spent between his bed and
a nearby chair, using certain cooking and other facilities within
arm's reach.
A male relative shared the room with him, but that relative was
usually out of the house all day. The room itself was laden with
old papers, boxes, dust-covered articles, and dirt. The bed was
filthy. We offered to assist him in making application for a place
in a residential home, and asked him to discuss this and the cleaning
of the room with his relative. A few days later this relative reported
that the old man would not allow the room to be cleansed and that
he refused to consider entering a residential home. On visiting
again, it was confirmed that these were his views.
The Court agreed with our representation that he was aged,
infirm, living in insanitary conditions, and was unable to devote to
himself, and was not receiving from other persons proper care and
attention. He was admitted for three months to a residential home.
His relative went temporarily to live elsewhere while tke district
sanitary inspector had the room and its contents cleansed and redecoration
done. We visited the old man several times at his
residential home. He was happy, grateful for the care which was
being given him, and he had decided, of his own free will, to continue
staying there.
(3) The son of an old lady wrote from his distant home, expressing
regret at his inability to help, but asking us to assist his mother's
family doctor in having her admitted to hospital. When visited,
her two rooms were found to be bright and clean and in no way insanitary.
She was lying helpless, in bed, and she had been so for
some time. Her doctor had arranged home help, but had been
unable either to secure home nursing or to have her admitted to
hospital. A private nurse had been attending during night-time
but she was now leaving.