[Report 1951] / Medical Officer of Health, Denbighshire County Council.

  • Denbighshire (Wales). County Council. no2004062613.
Date:
1951
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1951] / Medical Officer of Health, Denbighshire County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    t'casiblc one in the rural areas, but consideration should be given to providing an Occupation Centre in large towns. ■ \n Occupation Centre for about twenty defectives, if sited in the vicinity of Wrexham, would meet the demands of the area. 'J'he defectives from the surrounding district could be transported to and from the Centre. In this way, the parents would be relieved of the constant care of the tlefective, and that in itself would warrant the expenditure involved. The defectives respond quickly and show consider- able improvement, for not only do they gain confidence by being in an environment with which they are in accord, but also the training and teaching given at the Centre makes them better equipped for the adult world to which they have to return_ .\dmission to mental deficiency institutions entails a pro- longed period of waiting. Most of the urgent requests for admission to an institution are the result of some tragic catastro])he in the home. Prompt action is imperative if the defective is to be saved from undue privation, and the only means available of disposing of such a defective is to a “ Place of Safety.” The Superintendent of the Ruthin Wel- fare Home, Mr. Morris, has, on several occasions^ saved the situation, although he fully appreciated the disorganisa- tion that the admission of a low grade defective would cause amongst the inmates and staff. I am exceedingly grateful for such co-operation, as otherwise some of the emergencies would be insolvable. ;\ priority list is forwarded at six monthly intervals to the Regional Plospital Pioard. While those on this list were the most deserving when it was submitted, frequently a vacancy becomes urgently needed for a defective who has never been on a waiting list. The reason for this may be that while one of the parents—usually the mother—was alive and well enough to care for the defective, there was no question of admission to an institution. There is a total of 15 defectives on the Denbighshire waiting list out of 102 ascertained mental defectives. It would a])pear that in recent years there has been a diminution in the parental sense of responsibility towards their mentally defective children. Persistent demands are made to have defectives removed to the care of the state and consequently the number seeking admission to institutions is now much in excess of those before 1948,