[Report 1967] / Medical Officer of Health, Ilkeston Borough.

  • Ilkeston (England). Borough Council.
Date:
1967
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1967] / Medical Officer of Health, Ilkeston Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    12/48 page 10
    No case of human infection has been reported to date in the town. The unfortunate outbreak of foot and mouth disease at the end of 1967 cut short sampling for the year. Contact with farms was reduced to the minimum urgently required. In areas where extensive slaughter of herds took place it would be wise to replace with only brucellosis free animals. This makes the best use of an unfortunate situation. CARE OF THE ELDERLY. A report on problems arising from the care of older people discharged home and living alone was made to the June 1967 Public Health Committee. Concern is felt at the developing situation. This relates to discharges home from other places of people who are not really able to care for themselves. Full information is available about these people and all available services are used. Home Nursing, Home Help, friendly neighbours, etc. Much gratitude is felt towards the many friendly neighbours and members of families who undertake to help these people. These people may be partly or wholly incontinent. Partly mobile or wholly immobile. Often at odds with their families. Discharged from hospitals (not requiring treatment) they become more difficult and relapse into a cabbage-like existence. Dozing off because of lack of stimulus until awoken or stimulated for some reason. There are not a great number of these people. But because they do not require treatment they are not considered hospital cases. Because they are not mobile they cannot be accommodated bv the Welfare Authority. Two cases concern me. They are each in a house by themselves. Visited at intervals and benefit from above services. Problems arise every bank holiday when services are closed down or run on a skeleton basis. Rightly helpers wish to be with their own families at these times. The possibility of emergency holiday services is under discussion at a higher level. The reason for this report is to bring up the question of ' Half Way House ’ accommodation. This is a type of purpose-built accommodation for these people. Bed-sitting room type, with some minimal nursing, some const amt stimulation (contact with people, some interest in life) and care available when required (not left alone for nights and most of the day). This has been discussed before and found favour but no action.
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