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Group discussion as part of health education in schools is undertaken by health
visitors and one school nurse. All these have special training and aptitudes for
enlightening young teenages on the principles of healthy living. The aim is to make
these occasions easy and informal so that these young people are free to ask questions
as they will. Pupils take part in the demonstrations, the use of visual aids and
discussion on a film or film strip. Many pupils keep their own written and illustrated
books as a record of the matters discussed. This activity appears to be very much
enjoyed by the school children. Many girls, too, make an opportunity to speak alone
to the health visitor/school nurse about personal matters. Two hundred and fifty-six
classes of this kind were held in schools during 1961.
Visiting the Aged
Much of the work of home visiting in the Area is undertaken by the Old People's
Welfare Associations of Hornsey and Tottenham. The visiting of the elderly by health
visitors falls mainly into two groups. The first is those aged people who are
referred by hospital almoners and family doctors who ask for social visits to be made
following hospitalisation or illness. Most of these are elderly people who are
unable to care for themselves properly and may be an anxiety to their relatives or
neighbours or may be expected to return to hospital at a later date. The second
group are those who are reasonably healthy, housebound and limited by reason of their
advanced years from doing as much for themselves as formerly and who need the various
services available explained to them and arrangements made to put them into effect
when they are acceptable.
Visiting following application for Recuperative Holidays
At these visits health visitors are mainly concerned with the arrangements to be
made for the care of children in the absence of the mother and in certain cases to see
that the plans for travelling and other details are known and possible.
Mental Health Case Conferences
Dr. J.C. Sawle Thomas, Consultant Psychiatrist to the Prince of Wales's General
Hospital, Tottenham heard cases presented by health visitors at monthly intervals
until August. His counsel and help sustained members of the health visiting staff in
their handling of special cases. It is hoped to be able to re-establish these case
conferences when health visitors' attendances at Mental Health courses come to an end
next year.
Talks and Local Campaigns
Health visitors have given a number of talks to local groups during the year
such as Young Wives' Clubs and youth organisations. They also assisted in the Fire
Prevention Campaign in July particularly by displaying posters and demonstration
materials and by drawing the attention of the public to them in welfare centres and
during home visiting.
Lectures on the social aspects of disease were given each term by the Superintendent
Health Visitor and the Deputy Superintendent tostudent nurses at the Prince of Wales's
General Hospital and the Preliminary Training School.