[Report 1954] / Medical Officer of Health, Burnley County Borough.

  • Burnley (England). County Borough Council.
Date:
1954
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1954] / Medical Officer of Health, Burnley County Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    There continues to be a greater demand for assistance from the Home Help Service than can be met by the present staff of 46 whole-time and 5 part-time Home Helps. This demand comes mainly from elderly persons who by reason of senility and chronic illness are unable to undertake their own housework or shopping, and who have no relatives near at hand to help them. Although more helps could be employed, difficulty is experienced in recruiting the right type of person for this work. ISo service of night attendants was provided in 1954, but as there was found to be occasional need for care of elderly people during the night, par- ticularly those with incontinence, slight-mental confusion or defective eye- sight, etc., a service is now provided, in 1955. Three attendants are available, on call. It has also been decided to provide resident helps or wardens on those housing estates on which there are considerable numbers of elderly persons living in flats or bungalows and who have no relatives to assist them. The service will be tried in the first place for an experimental period on Bleak House Estate, when a house for the warden becomes available, and if it proves useful, it will be extended to other housing estates. The duties of the warden will be to visit the elderly people each morning and evening, and at other times during the day, as necessary, and give assistance with cleaning, cooking, lighting fires, shopping, cashing old age pensions, etc., for those who are temporary incapable of doing so for themselves, summoning medical aid when necessary, and generally acting as a liaison between the elderly infirm people and the Health Department. The Domestic Help Organiser supervises the helps, investigates the needs and circumstances of applicants for assistance and recruits the personnel. The total wages paid to the Domestic Help staff during the year ended 31st March, 1954 was £12,248, and the income from charges made for the service was only £915. This, however, is an increase of £233 over the previous year. The net expenditure on the service amounted to £12,305. Type of Cases Total cases attended Ca Com] ses fieted Cases remaining on books at 31/12/54 No. Percen- tage No. Percen- tage No. Percen- tage Maternity 27 4-9 26 12-9 1 0-3 Tuberculosis 14 2-5 5 2-5 9 2-6 Illness of housewife .... 31 5-6 19 9-4 12 3-5 Chronic Sick 123 22-3 45 22-3 78 221 Aged and Infirm 357 64-7 107 52-9 250 71-5 ! 552 — 202 350 Periods for which Help was provided. Less th one mo an nth 1-3 n aonths 3-6 months 6-12 months _ 1 Over 12 months No. % age No. % age No. % age No. % age No. .% age 79 14-3 45 8-2 58 10-6 98 17-7 272 49-3
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