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63
preparation of both parents will increase the knowledge of health in the community and
lead to improved child care In giving anticipating guidance to parents and prospective
parents the health visitor will enable them to be prepared against possible future
stresses and difficulties
Health education in welfare clinics is a regular procedure and is considered to be a
much more important function than the weighing of babies Discussion of the child's
progress advice on general care behaviour and feeding problems is routine
Health education in schools has been undertaken by health visitors and one school
nurse for a number of years Two hundred and forty four classes were held in schools
during 1962. The classes are kept on an easy and informal basis, the pupils being
encouraged to ask questions and take part in the discussions. Many of the pupils who in
the past have had the opportunity of participating in these classes, now have children of
their own, and frequently seek the help of the health visitor who has seen them through
their school life.
Talks to Local Organisations by health visitors have been requested from time to
time as well as a series of lectures to the British Red Cross Society. Also ParentTeacher
Associations extend invitations to health visitors to speak on open discussions.
Lectures on Social Aspects of Disease were given each term by the Superintendent
Health Visitor and the Deputy Superintendent to student nurses at the Prince of Wales's
General Hospital and the Preliminary Training School,
Special Services Health Visitors
Families with acute problems requiring immediate and time consuming attention are
referred by the district health visitors to the special services health visitors who, in
return, hand back to their colleagues some of the old-standing "problem" families who,
although still in need of fairly close supervision, are on the whole managing their affairs
better, as the children grow up and cause less strain on the parents.
Mental illness, low intelligence in parents with families too large for them still
remain the chief cause of parents being unable to manage their problems During 1962
the reasons for referral of new cases included mental illness in one or other parent,
marital disharmony, debts and rent arrears In one case the mother had an obsessional
neurosis and has had to have in-patient psychiatric treatment three times during the year.
She has eight children living and for medical and psychiatric reasons wars sterilised after
the birth of her last baby, born in November. In another case a Pakistan lawyer with a
legal wife in his own country bigamously married a high grade mentally defective Irish
girl by whom he had two children. He recently returned to his legal wife who has meanwhile
become very wealthy This has made it necessary to get the two children aged
nine and five years happily placed for adoption. The mother has been helped to find
satisfactory residential work in hospital. Two mothers, whose husbands are incurable
psychopaths have started to take the contraceptive pill under careful supervision as the
usual family planning methods have proved unacceptable. The consultant and family
doctor only recommended this after a very thorough investigation and it has resulted in
an ease of tension in the families concerned