CONVALESCENT CASES

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 74, 28 March 1930, Page 6

CONVALESCENT CASES

ADULTS AND CHILDREN

MACARTHY HOME AT

BELMONT

Tiio suggestion was made at a meeting of the Wellington Hospital Board yesterday afternoon that owing to the small number of children in the Macarthy Home for Convalescent Children at Belmont the Macarthy Trust be asked to consent to a variation of the terms of the gift to enable adult convalescents to be treated at the home. In his last annual report the Medical Superintendent of the Wellington Hospital (Dr. H. Bayldon Ewcn) said: — "There is a great need in the city for a convalescent h6me to which patients could be sent, thus relieving beds in the Hospital for urgent cases. At present there is a convalescent home for women at Oriental Bay, but at times it is too small.; ■ For men there is no convalescent home at all. Often the breadwinner has to be discharged from hospital long before he is really fit to return to work, and in many cases he has no private home to goto. It would be a valuable service to the community if a convalescent home for men could be established."" : . PERIOD OF CONVALESCENCE. The importance of having convalescent homes connected with hospitals is now generally recognised by medical authorities. It is felt that the hospital responsibility for the welfare of the patient should not cease with his discharge, but should be shared during a reasonable period of convalescence. The opinion is strongly held that every patient who has had an extended stay in hospital should have a period of convalescence. Ho should be discharged as soon as the detailed nursing and pro? fessional care given in the hospital is no longer necessary to ensure Ids i-e----turn to health. ■ The full-period ofYconvalescence .should not, it. is asserted, be spent in the hospital, but in his own home (if he has'a suitable .home) or in a convalescent home, where the* cost of his- maintenance would-be much less than in the hospital. In a convalescent home, his care, during convalescence could be properly supervised at a much less, cost, thaji.ia = hospital,.... .To discharge him without this care means in many cases his early vto hospital. [ - Mr. W.Colej- at-ameeting of the Wel-lington-Hospital Board-yesterday, said there was, in his opinion, an undue expenditure: of money on the maintenance of the few patients in the Macarthy Convalescent Koine for Children at Belmoriti On an average the number of children in the home daily throughout the year was only about ten; and that meant that the cost of the keeping of each child was> about £112 a year. He understood that parents had complained that the home was rather inaccessible for" visiting. It would be ~ a saving to the ratepayers'.if the property, which was a valuable one, were sold and other arrangements made with respect to accommodation of children during convalescence. • The chairman (Mr. C. M. Luke) said he regretted sometimes to find only ten or twelve children in the home. Although complaints. were made as to the inaccessibility of the home a number of years ago, he had not recently heard any complaints. The property was handed over to the board by the Macarthy Trust as a convalescent home for children. The board, of "course, had, expended money on thß' property. It might be suggested tli&t -thehome should be converted into a convalescent home for adults. He agreed with Mr. Colo that the property was a valuable one, and that the children accommodated there were few in number.' Mr. Luke suggested that _Mr v Colo bring up tho matter for consideration at the next meeting of the General Committee. Tho expenditure on the Macarthy Convalescent Homo for Children last year was £1120. ■ Mr. 3?. Castle expressed the opinion that tho home had not justified tho cost of maintenance. If the homo were nearer Wellington, he thought it would prove more useful for tho purpose intended. He saw no reason^ why the board should not. approach the Macarthy Trust for authority to sell the site and get a site nearer the city. Mr. P. Bennett endorsed tho view expressed by Mr. Castle that it was desirable that the home should be hearer the city. Mr. Cole said he would bring up the question at the next meeting; of the General Committee.