THE PHYSICALLY HANDICAPPED SURVEY SHOULD BEGIN OF NEED FOR ACCOMMODATION

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31247, 20 December 1966, Page 20

THE PHYSICALLY HANDICAPPED SURVEY SHOULD BEGIN OF NEED FOR ACCOMMODATION

'Specially written /or "The Press”

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PEGGY BUCHANAN)

Thanks to the devoted efforts of many people, and to the increasing public awareness of the problem, the needs of the aged in our community are now generally being met. But what of the living conditions of young and middle-aged handicapped persons? New Zealand rightly enjoys a high reputation for its social services from the cradle to the grave; but many indications point to a yawning gap between the ages of 20 and 65 for a certain section of the population.

Persons severely disabled in accidents, those prematurely affected by chronic illness, spastics, and adult cerebral palsy cases are some of those often unable to be accommodated in their own homes. Even where this has been possible for a time, disabled children eventually grow up, and their parents get beyond the physical demands involved in caring for them: and what then? The Intellectually Handicapped Children’s Society and Health Department institutions such as those at Templeton and Levin are concerned with those whose primary handicap is intellectual. The State and private mental hospitals, although chronically short-staffed, exist to cover the needs of the mentally ill. A measure of security is available here for those of all ages in this category who cannot live at home.

Residential Problem But what of the disabled person who, already handicapped by a primarily physical limitation, sometimes without any family connexions at all, needs a home and the stimulation of compatible company? Such people often need, far more than the rest of us, encouragement, friendship, and stimulation of all kinds. Their active minds are entitled to the same outlets as those of the ablebodied: and what physical' skills they still have should be given the maximum possible scope. Although these needs can be met to some extent by occupational therapy and perhaps by attendance at a sheltered workshop, where one exists, the residential problem is not solved. For lack of a hostel, as in Christchurch, many young people have to travel long distances to the workshops from country districts; and the home conditions of others are liable to break down from time to time.

North Island Home It appears that the only Government-sponsored residential home for the physically handicapped in the North Island is “Pukeora,” a large institution of about 70 with a long waiting list It is administered by the New Zealand Crippled Children’s Society in co-operation with the Health Department, and is able to admit only the physically handicapped who would otherwise be homeless. Although this institution performs a valuable service, its intake covers only those between the ages of 16 and 30; and most handicapped people live longer than this.

The South Island has no equivalent institution apart from a smaller home, “Braemar," in Nelson. Public hospitals are often obliged to accommodate dependants in their general wards, but medical-social workers freely admit the inadequacies of rigid institution life for those who are not entirely helpless and who would benefit from the opportunity for more independence. Then there are the aged people’s homes, the private convalescent homes, and the wards of geriatric hospitals. Many private "homes" charging up to £l4 14s a week are beyond the reach of a person receiving an invalid pension of £5 15s a week, as, indeed, are the cheaper ones, where even a shared room costs between £7 7s and £ll Ils. Church homes make more allowance for variation in income, but in all these cases the problem is more than financial. Such establishments cater exclusively for aged people, standards in some private “homes” leave much to be desired, and even where the younger dependant person can be admitted, he (or she) is doubly handicapped by the need to adjust to others who are often senile, within a set of rules and regulations designed for people whose lives are almost at an end. Is it fair that the tensions and frustrations involved should be accepted as inevitable? If not, what is the alternative?

Extent Of The Need Perhaps one must first consider the extent of the need. It. is obviously beyond the scope of this article to make an accurate assessment of the number of handicapped people involved; but the lack of suitable accommodation for all age-groups below 70 is readily acknowledged by welfare workers, by matrons of aged persons' institutions, and by the staff of the medical-social department of the Christchurch Hospital who are often faced with situations of acute need. More specifically it has been estimated that about 28 younger dependant people now living at such hospitals as Burwood, Coronation, the Christchurch Hospital, Sunnyside, and the Jubilee Home are there because there is nowhere else for them to go. This does not take into account the cases known to other organisations such as the Adult Cerebral Palsy Welfare Association and the Crippled Children’s Society, where hostel accommodation is desperately needed. - The former group, indeed, is planning to open a hostel for a small number of people; but as this may be mainly a rehabilitation centre for Templeton patients, it will certainly not meet the need

of a much greater variety of cases. Even if the dreams of the Crippled Children's Society were realised, and a large-scale equivalent to “Pukeora" were established in the South Island, there remains the unknown number of miscellaneous cases who at present appear to be distributed throughout the community. Their needs no doubt differ according to their condition, and deserve to be recognised and properly assessed in an accurate survey.

Work In Auckland It is encouraging to know that this is being done in Auckland. The Auckland Hospital Board is employing a full-time social worker to investigate living conditions of as wide a group a possible of disabled persons; and an energetic group of responsible citizens are co-operating with such organisations as the Ryder Cheshire Foundation and the Crippled Children's Society to establish a National Trust. Here the problem is not only receiving recognition in a general way, but being tackled in the practical sense with a genuine attempt to discover the extent of the need, and how to meet it. Until the survey is complete, it is impossible to know what accommodation will be provided, but it is hoped that various kinds will be considered, including semidetached flats for those requiring the maximum degree of independence with the necessary degree of care. This will also depend on the finance available, and it is encouraging to know that the Auckland Rotary Club has agreed to sponsor the scheme.

First Steps Here

How far away from this are we in Christchurch, and who should take the initiative if something is to be done? Would the North Canterbury Hospital Board undertake a survey if the ball could be set rolling? Perhaps the first step is for the member committees of the Co-ordinating Council for the Handicapped to extend their individual interests to the point of working out a unified approach to a common problem, and enlisting the hospital's support for a full-scale survey. Those immediately concerned would also do well to keep in touch with what is being done elsewhere, and make their needs known to some responsible organisation. Although the establishment of a National Trust indicates an over-all coverage of the problem, it will differ in detail In every centre, and must first be tackled by those on the spot. Let us hope that more light may be thrown on the problem by those most closely involved.