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71
WELFARE OF AGED PERSONS
At all times in history old age has no doubt presented many and difficult
problems, but in the present era, with increased longevity, the percentage of
old persons has increased to such an extent that the need for making adequate
provision for their welfare is probably more pressing than ever before. In
the past, responsibility for the care of the aged and the feeble was deemed to
rest with the family, who in the main accepted the obligation. The difficult
housing situation and many other aspects of modern life have tended to make it
well nigh impossible for the family in very many cases to continue to undertake
these duties. In olden times too, and prior to the advent of State
intervention the churches and voluntary organisations were ardent workers in
this field. One is pleased to note that voluntary effort still has a large
part to play and that it is being given every encouragement to do so.
With the coming into operation of the National Assistance Act, 1948, the
old Poor Law system was finally abolished, and statutory powers for dealing
with aged persons are contained in, amongst other Acts of Parliament, the
National Health and National Assistance Acts, but responsibility is divided
and not very clearly defined. In London the County Council is the Welfare
Authority under the National Assistance Act, and obligations under the National
Health Service Act are divided between the County Council as local health
authority, the Regional Hospital Boards as hospital authorities and the Executive
Council as the authority responsible for the general medical practitioner
and general dental services,. The obligations of local sanitary authorities
are limited, but nevertheless a considerable amount of welfare work on behalf
of the aged is in fact done by these authorities.
The Public Health Committee of this Council takes a very deep interest in
the problem, and the staff of the department are always ready to do whatever
lies in their power for any cases found to be in need of assistance. The main
problem of the aged with which we are almost daily confronted can be described
in general terms as inability adequately to fend for themselves. An easy
solution which one is tempted to consider is the removal of many of these
people to homes for the aged, to hospitals or to other institutions: it must
never be forgotten that old people cling to familiar surroundings and long to
end their days in their own homes; the majority indeed can very well remain
in their own homes, provided domestic, nursing and other assistance is available
when required^ Power is provided under the National Assistance Acts to,
under certain conditions, have persons compulsorily removed, but this is a
power which one finds most distasteful to use and only under very exceptional
circumstances is it invoked Every effort possible is made to keep people in
their own homes, and this entails the closest possible co-operation with other
organisations, voluntary as well as statutory working in the broad field of
welfare, I am again happy to report that very close co-operation exists
between the staff of this department and all the official and voluntary organisations
covering the wider field of social welfare
The following table shows the age distribution of the population of the
Administrative County of London and of Hackney as revealed by the censuses of
1931 and 1951.