Nurse Maude Aid Expands

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31097, 28 June 1966, Page 2

Nurse Maude Aid Expands

The Nurse Maude District Nursing Association was moving with the times. Home aid assistance was being given to young mothers undergoing psychiatric treatment, Miss M. E. Rae, lady superintendent, told the association’s annual meeting yesterday.

TwentyAive children were involved with 18 of these cases. At present assistance was being given to 24 persons. “We are keeping homes together,” Miss Rae said. “If we can, we must help the young as well as the ord.” This year the association's work—district nursing, home aid, laundry and social services—had expanded. To meet community needs staff must call on all their nursing skills—patience, kindness and understanding—and maintain constant vigilance to help rehabilitate young and old. Nursing treatments In homes in the city, suburbs and country areas totalled 94,143, an average of 790 patients treated monthly. The home aid staff had a very busy year with a great expansion of work. Heavy demands had been met willingly. Service had been given in homes in cases of sickness, to the aged and frail and to the physically handicapped. Almost 200 home aids were serving, and 34,104 working visits were made, making a total of 111,895 hours worked.

Sponsored by the North Canterbury Hospital Board, the laundry service was of great benefit, and demands were increasing each year. Last year 8117 homes were visited, 642 patients supplied with laundry, and 67,128 articles laundered.

Miss Rae expressed gratitude for the valuable work done by the Friends of Nurse Maude, and the assistance and support received from the Red Cross Society, the Good Neighbour Service and the Christchurch Aged People’s Welfare Council.

Expansion of the association’s work had been the pattern during the last few years and support from the Christchurch public had always enabled it to “make ends meet,” the acting chairman (Mr S. E. Mair) said. Nursing visits had increased 22 per cent, home aid visits 61 per cent, and laundry service 3 per cent with articles/ laundered increasing by 41 per cent. Paid staff now numbered 304, compared with 241 last year. Expenditure had risen from £119,606 to £148,702 with a deficit this year of £1548. Public support continued to be very strong and donations totalled £7966. Trustees of the Philip Brown Fund had allotted £lOOO to purchase cars for the district nursing service, and £lOOO to modernise the Averill House kitchen.

Cases Turned Away | Demand for beds in the association’s hospitals con-' tinued, and last year 300 urgent cases had to be turned away, Mr Turner Smith, chairman of the hospital committee, reported. “Families who have been looking after elderly relatives year in and year out apply to us for assistance for two or three weeks, but we cannot take many in. "We know families must have a rest and we hope to have a brighter report to make next year. Expansion, however, requires money and assets,” he said. Letters of commendation for the association’s work and contribution to the welfare

of the community were received from the Canterbury faculty of the College of Genera! Practitioners and the Canterbury division of the British Medical Association. Officers elected were:— Chairman, Mr L. D. Cotterill; committee, Messrs H. B. Anderson, E. T. Beaven, R. G. Compton, G. N. Francis, N. F. Greenslade, S. E. Mair, J. B. Hay, Dr. W. I. Paterson, Mr Turner Smith, Mrs J. Ferrier, Misses C. Pratt, B. Webb; treasurer, Mr R. G. Compton; secretary, Mr C. B. P. Johnston.