[Report 1967] / Medical Officer of Health, Leicestershire / County of Leicester County Council.

  • Leicestershire (England). County Council.
Date:
1967
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1967] / Medical Officer of Health, Leicestershire / County of Leicester County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    71/102 (page 69)
    The Deaf Mr. J. D. Washington, Superintendent/Missioner to the Leicester and County Mission for the Deaf reports as follows: — The Leicester and County Mission for the Deaf and the Loughborough and District Mission continue to act as agents for the County Council, receiving an annual grant. At the end of 1967 there were 167 county cases on the registers of these two societies. During the year, ten elderly deaf persons enjoyed a week's holiday at Skegness, and various outings and social functions were organised regularly. Fares were paid to enable old people who receive Supplementary Pensions to attend group activities at the Institutes. Regular visitation of the deaf in their homes and in hospitals, especially to the elderly and housebound deaf, were carried out during the year. The services for the deaf encountered some difficulty in 1967 because of staffing problems at both Missions. Arising from this the Management Committees carried out a review of the service that they provide for the deaf in the area and in December, following the appointment of a new Superintendent/Missioner, it was agreed that the Missions should make every effort to extend their services to the deaf and hard of hearing commun¬ ity throughout the area. Two specific items of policy were agreed. Firstly an increase of staff to ensure not only regular visitation but an increased opportunity for individual social care and the greater development of community life. This would be accomplished by increasing the number of staff from the present two to five. The second point was the improvement of the facilities available at both the Leicester Institute and the Loughborough Institute. At Loughborough Institute renovations and alterations were envisaged which would provide for improved kitchen facilities and a new Television Lounge, whi le at Leicester the bui Iding of a new recreation wing would not only increase the space for recreational activities but would make the building much more flexible and so enable it to be open seven nfghfs a week for activities of one kind or another. Greater co-operation is being sought with the Health and Welfare Departments of the local authorities, hospitals and other statutory bodies to ensure that every deaf and hard of hearing person is aware that a service exists for them and also that the needs of this handicapped group are known to the community at large and other voluntary organisations who are very often uncertain as to how best to help people overcome this particular difficulty. A specific example of this is the need for both the deaf and organisations serving the community to be aware that theMission provides a 24 hour emergency service for hospitals, police, etc. wherever manual interpretation is required.