Plans For Homes For Elderly

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31108, 11 July 1966, Page 12

Plans For Homes For Elderly

Home and hospital bed care for the aged and infirm was urgently needed in Christchurch a meeting between the Manchester Unity Welfare Homes Trust Board and Christchurch members of Parliament agreed on Saturday.

The meeting resolved to press for Government approval to build, with a Government subsidy, a 20-bed infirm wing as part of the proposed George Manning House at 155 Lyttelton street. The wing would be built concurrently with the 30-bed residential wings already approved. Christchurch members of Parliament from both sides of the House will ask the Minister of Health (Mr McKay) to approve a Government subsidy for the project’. Saturday’s meeting was attended by the Leader of the Opposition (Mr Kirk), the member for St. Albans (Mr H. J. Walker), the member for Christchurch Central (Mr R. M. Macfarlane), and the member for Riccarton (Mr M. A. Connelly). Apologies were received from the Minister of Finance (Mr Lake), the member for Sydenham (Miss M. B. Howard), and the member for Avon (Mr J. Mathison). In January application was made for approval of a project for a geriatric home, with beds for the infirm on the basis of 30 residential beds and 20 hospital beds, said the chairman of the trust board (Mr H. J. Paulger). The home would be built on the Lyttelton street site bequeathed to the Christchurch Aged People’s Welfare

Council 13 years ago. On April 19 the board—which comprised representatives of the North Canterbury district of the M.U.1.0.0.F., the Christchurch Aged People’s Welfare Council, the Christchurch South Rotary—had been advised that the Minister had approved negotiations between the board and the Department of Health on the basis of the provision of up. to 40 home beds but not hospital beds. The board replied on June 7 that it was willing to negotiate on the basis of a home with up to 40 beds, but it urged the Minister further to consider granting a subsidy for an infirm wing of 20 beds. No reply had yet been received to this letter. The members of Parliament at the meeting agreed a joint approach to the Minister should be made, and it was decided three other members of Parliament—the Minister

of Transport (Mr McAlpine), the member for Southern Maori (Sir Eruera Tirikatene) and the member for Rangiora (Mr H. E. L. Pickering) should be asked to join the deputation.

Dr. A. V. Mitchell, senior lecturer in political science at the University of Canterbury, has been elected to an official fellowship at Nuffield College, Oxford.