[Report 1964] / Medical Officer of Health, Aberdeen City.

  • Aberdeen (Scotland). City Council.
Date:
1964
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1964] / Medical Officer of Health, Aberdeen City. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    the upset which they cause to other residents in old people’s homes; because of the necessary increase in staffing required to cope with such individuals; and the need for increased security measures to prevent wandering. Consideration might be given by the Corporation to the allocation of one of the proposed future old people’s homes for this purpose. AMOUNT OF WORK UNDERTAKEN. (1) Under Section 27 of the National Health Service (Scotland) Act, 1947. (a) Measures for prevention of Mental Illness. (i) Health Education by Health Visitors, Health Education Lecturers and Departmental Medical Officers. This has for some years constituted a considerable part of the Department s health education work—both in group and in individual health education. As more and more physical diseases are conquered, proportionally more attention can be focussed on mental health, and especially on anticipatory guidance preventing the causes of disturbances before they actually arise. The particular importance of the preventive and social role of the family health visitor—an expert in normality, skilled in the art of persuasion, and recognised by the family as a health counsellor and social adviser in the prevention of the “break-up” of the family, with its consequent bad effects on the physical and even more on the mental health of children, and in the prevention of mental ill-health in general, was emphasised in D.H.S. Circular 77/1954, and various subsequent documents; and her positive role in inculcating sound attitudes and in helping to reduce tensions to bearable limits is even more important. Second only to this in value is group teaching or, more accurately, group discussion. The expansion of this service has been hampered by the inability of the Corporation to attract candidates to the long-vacant posts of Health Education Lecturers. (ii) Attempts to assist families placed in situations of abnormal physical, mental or financial strain. For households under physical strain, help is available (as indicated elsewhere). Physical strain on parents is frequently relieved by the admission of young children to day or residential nurseries. Financial strain is often relieved by the same means, the mother being enabled to work for a time to obtain sufficient money to pay off debts. Health visitors give much useful advice and guidance on family budgeting and on general domestic problems; and there is good liaison with the National Assistance Board and with various voluntary societies. Another factor of assistance to families in situations of abnormal strain is the existence of a Joint Committee to consider children neglected in their own homes. This Committee, by co-ordinating the efforts of health visitors and school health visitors, school welfare officers, the National Assistance Board, and so on, as well as bodies like the Aberdeen Association of Social Service, can sometimes find a practical means of relieving an intolerable strain on households. In addition,