ELDERLY SEEK BEDS

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29844, 9 June 1962, Page 10

ELDERLY SEEK BEDS

Full Wards At Hosnitals

A very large number of requests for medical beds was being received by the North Canterbury Hosnital Board mainly for the elderly, the board’s director of outnatienit services (Dr W I Paterson) said yesterday The demand was such, he said, that onlv the most urgent cases of this sort could be admitted The Christchurch Hosn'tal in particular. was crowded on the 1 medical side, and on some days when it w’s this hospital’s turn to admit pa*ien f s *0 Prncess Margaret H''spi-i tat had to take them instead A similar situation had arisen about the same time m nrevious vears. said Dr Paterson Elderly and crip-. nled p“imons seemed to f»el their infirmities more with winter coming on In the many cases where hosoital beds could not be made available. the board d’d what it could through its domiciliary and outpatient services A survey of the needs of about 409 persons, mostly elderlv. who had applied to •be for help during the last few ye°r® was almost I com.nle’e. and would soon be o-esented to the board. Dr Pierson added

Some of those concerned had been admitted to hospital or to a residential home and in other instances the need had been met by arranging for the appropriate outpatient services. Individual needs changed, however. with the lapse of time, and the purpose of the present survey was to bring the board's list uo to date The survey would be complementary to that recently carried out on a Dominion-wide scale by the Health Department and the Social Security Department