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78
WELFARE OF AGED PERSONS
In accordance with the policy of the Borough Council that all
possible help should be afforded to aged persons in the many difficulties
which they encounter, various members of the staff of the department
devoted much time to the welfare of the aged Information as to
the difficulties and problems of elderly people is received in the
department from many sources, and every possible effort is made to help
the persons concerned I am pleased to report that once again we were
able to deal with the more difficult cases without recourse to the
statutory powers for compulsory removal which are available to local
authorities under the National Assistance Acts.
Persons known to the department at 31st
December, 1955 158
New cases during 1956 110
Persons on register at 31st December, 1956 202
Total visits to aged persons 632
Action taken:-
Admitted to Homes 18 persons
Admitted to Hospital 48 „
Home Help Service arranged 23 „
Cleansing Baths arranged 52 „
Under SECTION 31 (Contributions to old people's organisations)
of the National Assistance Act 1948 the Council made grants to the
following organisations:-
(a) Hackney Association for the Welfare of Old People. The
Council made a grant of £850 to this Association, the activities of
which included the following*:-
Case work. 484 new cases were visited.
Chiropody. 254 treatments were given to 134 housebound
old people in the borough.
Clubs. 20 Clubs are affiliated to the Association,
the membership of old people amounting to
over 7,000. Club Leaders serve on the
Committee of the Association.
Holidays. Holidays for approximately 270 old people
were arranged by the Association, the
average cost to the pensioner being £1,
plus the cost of fares.
Meals-on-Wheels. An average of 200 meals per week was provided
at a cost of only 10d. per meal to
the old person, the remainder of the cost
being borne by the Association
and the London County Council.
(b) Invalid Meals for London. The Council made a grant of £300
to this organisation. Invalid meals and special diets were provided at
a reduced price of lOd. to Old Age Pensioners. In the last eight months
of the year a total of 3,404 meals was provided for an average of 28
Hackney old people per month.