[Report 1954] / Medical Officer of Health, Aberdeen City.

  • Aberdeen (Scotland). City Council.
Date:
1954
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1954] / Medical Officer of Health, Aberdeen City. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    VISITS TO OLD PEOPLE. STUDY-DAY ON ELDERLY. CHIROPODY. CRIPPLES. MISCEL- LANEOUS. made it easier to assess the needs of old people in general, as well as facilitating the assistance of individuals. (18) One of the great advantages of a combined Health and Welfare Depart- ment is that one officer, the health visitor, can undertake both medico-social and welfare duties in the home. During the year, the number of old people being regularly visited by health visitors increased from 300 to over 700. The health visitor’s advice on diet, clothing, proper balance of rest and exercise, and develop- ment of leisure interests can do much to maintain the health of elderly citizens; and where an old person is beginning to need assistance (e.g., a home help, or chiropody) the health visitor can assess the need and initiate action. It is interesting to note that less than one elderly person out of every hundred visited expressed himself as not desiring the visits—a fact that is incidentally a hivh tribute to the tact and abilitv of the health visitors. (19) Neither the older departmental medical officers in their D.P.H. training nor the older health visitors in their health visiting training received as much instruction on the health care of the elderly as is given to persons now being trained. To try to minimise this handicap, a study week-end was arranged for health visitors and a study session was held for medical officers. More information is given in the section of the report dealing with training. (20) The chiropody service for elderly citizens developed considerably during the year and the mobile meals service was expanded to the limits of its present capacity. (21) 1954 was the first year of a service for physically handicapped persons (apart from the blind and deaf). 336 persons have so far registered and have been visited by the specialist health visitor or the social worker. In many cases it has been possible to give useful advice. An occupation centre has appeared as an outstanding need in many cases, and the provision of such a centre has been approved in principle by the Corporation. At the end of the year, however, no suitable building had yet been found. (22) At the end of the year, developments were beginning to take place in the dental service, an orthoptist was in process of being appointed, discussions were taking place with officers of the Regional Hospital Roard about the provision of physiotherapy (c.g., relaxation exercises at the ante-natal clinics), and con- sideration was being given to the establishment of a clinic for the early diagnosis of deafness. STAFF INCREASES IN RECENT YEARS. •Developments such as have taken place in recent years would manifestly have been imposs hie without some increases of staff. During 1951-54 certain increases were sanctioned from time to time. In the latter part of 1954, the Medical Officer of Health submitted a report containing long-term staffing proposals for all sections of the Health and Welfare