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(2)
Borough has teen very valuable over the years and her special experience
prevented or solved many social and health problems. This work is now
done by the Health Visitors of the County Council and infectious disease
investigation and control is carried out by Public Health Inspectors.
CARE OF THE ELDERY.
The gradual expansion of services for the care of the elderly
continues. There is no doubt that these services will need to develop
very considerably in the future to cater for increasing numbers of
elderly people in the community. Indication of how this may be done in
a way complementary to the 10 year plans of the County Council and Regional
Hospital Board was contained in a very excellent report produced by a
Working Party and submitted to the County Council at the end of 1962.
Specialised Housing provision will obviously be of prime importance
and the implementation of the Council's plans for erection of House-Mother
units in this district will render a tremendous service to those fortunate
enough to qualify for them,, It is extremely difficult to evaluate the
precise needs of the future in terms of numbers of places. The position
must be reviewed from time to time in the light of experience gained and
other developments which may take place. At the end of 1962 there were
10 House-Mother places and approximately 130 dwellings suitable for housing
the elderly. while future plans envisage a considerable increase in both
these types of housing provision . The Council also actively supports
the Maiden Housing Association which has been able to provide 29 flatlets
for old people. The provision of homes specially designed to meet the
needs of the elderly will do much to reduce the demand for places in
Residential Establishments, achieving the desirable object of enabling
them to live in their own homes for a much longer period than would
otherwise be the case. At the same time it must be remembered that this
in itself will in the future create problems for the domiciliary services.
SMOKING AND HEALTH.
Evidence continues to accrue of the harmful effects of heavy
smoking, deaths from cancer of the lung remaining at the high level of
recent times, although a slight reduction is recorded for 1962. During
the year an effort was made to present the facts of this situation in an
acceptable way to secondary school children by the use of a mobile
exhibition produced by the Central Council for Health Education. This
was well received and night with advantage be repeated in the future.
Posters and pamphlets have been distributed and every opportunity used to
discourage smoking. However , such measures are only of limited value,
so many youngsters have a picture of smoking as being part of normal adult