[Report 1943] / Medical Officer of Health, Buckinghamshire County Council.

  • Buckinghamshire (England). County Council. n 50052973.
Date:
1943
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1943] / Medical Officer of Health, Buckinghamshire County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Tlie Bucks Voluntary Association for the Care of the Mentally Defective coti- tinues to assist in the supervision of all known cases of mental defect living in their homes, the visitors’ report being submitted quarterly and carefully checked by the appropriate Committees. Home training is also arranged in certain cases and 26 defectives were regularly receiving tuition by nine part-time home teachers. The occupation centre at Slough has been maintained throughout the year and the names of 18 children are on the roll. This is lower than for the previous year and is partly due to the transfer, by way of promotion, of three children to the local special class for backward children. This centre has justified its establishment, particularly as it is almost impossible to provide institutional accommodation for children, and it also affords the parents with some relief from caring for them for some part of the day. (vi) WELFARE OF THE BLIND. The arrangements for the relief of the Blind on behalf of the County Council by the Bucks Association for the Blind continue to work satisfactorily. In the financial year ended 31st March, 1944, domiciliary grants paid to necessitous blind persons amounted to £5,769 16s. 3d. From the Annual Report of the Association for the year ended 31st March, 1944, the following extracts are made:— The number of registered blind persons shows a decrease. On March 31st, 1944, there were 376 registered blind in the County, as compared with 392 in the previous year. The great majority are over middle age—293 being over the age of 50 years. The ages of the blind population are shown in the following table:— Under 1 year ' 65—70 years 43 1^ 5 years .. 1 Over 70 years 150 5—16 years .. 8 Age unknown 2 16—21 years .. 7 21—40 years .. 36 40—50 years .. 31 * 376 SO—65 years .. 98 294 persons are classed as “ unemployable.” These are principally elderly people, but there are 36 who have serious mental or physical disability which prevents them from v.rorking, as shown below:— Mentally defective 10 Physically defective 6 Deaf, including 1 deaf-mute 20 Four persons are in homes for the blind, 1 in mental hospital, and 19 in public assistance institutions. The approved Home Workers numbered 24 at the end of March, 1944. These HomeWorkers continue under the general supervision of the Royal London Society for Teaching and Training the Blind, and the Home Teachers also help by arranging sales of work. In all, 64 blind persons are usefully employed, and four are under training, employments followed are:— Basket makers 11 Farmers and poultry farmers 3 Boot repairers 4 Teachers 1 Agents and shopkeepers 6 Tuners 6 Knitters (hand and machine) 9 Telephonists 2 Music teacher 1 Miscellaneous 15 Typist 2 Newsvendor 1 Labourers 2 Packer 1 The The Association continues to co-operate v-dth the British Wireless for the Blind Fund, and assists in the maintenance of the sets. During the year £193 18s. 7d. was expended in providing new batteries, 'and for repairs and replacements of parts. The Home Teachers carry out the duties of giving instruction in the homes of blind persons in Braille, Moon and several handicrafts. The total number of visits paid was 6,036, this number including 738 visits to evacuated blind persons.