[Report 1960] / Medical Officer of Health, Montgomeryshire County Council.

  • Montgomeryshire (Wales). County Council.
Date:
1960
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1960] / Medical Officer of Health, Montgomeryshire County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Child Welfare Reference has already been made to the remarkable reduction in infantile mortality during the past 50 years, but it is apparent that increased attention will have to be given to the causes of peri-natal mortality e.g. stillbirths an< deaths during the first week of life. Child Welfare Centres In I960 there were 14 Child Welfare Centres in the County; one new Centre being opened at Trewern during the year. The number of attendances at Child Welfare Centres during the year was 5,923* The voluntary workers continue their interest and play an important par' in the running of these Centres. Dental Services It has still not been possible to provide a priority dental service for expectant and nursing mothers and pre-school children. Such a service could not be provided at present without seriously affecting the School Dental Servic< Home Help Service As m previous years, the care of old people during I960, occupied more ho help working hours than any other type of case. The average age of those cared for is rising gradually and, in fact, there were eight people over 90 years and many more over 85 years helped during the year. Old people can be kept happily in their own homes, even though living alone, when relieved of the heavier type of housework. The majority of Home Helps doing this work are part-time workers as these have proved to be the most satisfactory for the care of the infirm aged. They are usually married women who will undertake the care of one, two or three households for a limited time each day, or sometimes only two or three times a week. Help is given when nec- essary in the evenings to assist old people to bed. Maternity cases continue to be few in number but most have a full-time help - often residential. The Home Help Supervisor, after talcing a course of training by correspondej passed the examination of the Institute of Home Help Organisers and became a qualified and registered member of the Institute. Number of Home Helps employed at 3d.12.60 a) Whole-time 3 b) Part-time 100' (c) Whole-time equivalent of (b) 37 Number of cases where Home Help was provided during the year:- (a) Maternity (including expectant mothers) 29 (b) Tuberculosis 3 (c) Chronic sick including aged and infirm 180 (d) Others 44 256 Comparative figures since inception of Service Type of Case 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 I960 (a) Maternity - 36 39 54 50 45 35 37 27 36 29 (b) Tuberculosis - 2 2 3 2 3 1 1 - 2 2 (c) Others 6 51 75 121 94 124 149 147 183 198 224 Total 6 89 116 178 $ H 172 185 185 210 236 256