MENTAL HOSPITALS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 645, 23 October 1909, Page 5

MENTAL HOSPITALS.

-- NEED FOR CLASSIFICATION. ' - STATEMENT BY HON. G. FOWLDS. The:-criticisms, of Mr. A. W. lions, M.P., with regard to the Urge proportion of old people at tho Porirua Mental Hospital who nro not properly mental patients, but should rather bo inmates of an old people's home, were brought under the notice of tho lion. G. l'owlds, Minister in chargo of mental hospitals, yesterday.;,- '■ .' [ '"It is quito triio/' Mr. FowldS ftplied.T'that 'V ' there, are a number of. people in each of. our ' : ' mental hospitals, that 'could perhaps be dealtv; ; with in old people's homes, but there aro ninny varying degrees of fitness;ior Bucb institutions,.',"■■■•■. and'if there* was any,large. ; transference', of ' ; " such patients to old people s .homes' some fur- ■ , ther reorganisation in. the inanagomont 6f s these : :' ; homer would be required' sary care and:treatment: for,., them. '.Some:of :-;'; - : ' them aro, active and > ',boisterbus > .\6ome ; merely :,':- restless, some iihpulslvoi'jahd some bedridden. 1 ~ while some are;emploj-'ed.abbut,the;plac6,'BnU;, : :,-' enjoy;themselves with, the; best patients playing■ ' :•'''■■ billiards, etc;,, and, ate 'quite 'as- comfortably.. vf ■cared for whero they.aro-rprobably-more- so—.' .-,..'-'.- than they would bo, in any. of! the existing'old -/ men's; homes. With ' regardito'.i blasSifiCatiOii', '•■, ■-•■ within the,mental hospitals,■'. Wo'do. i ar "more-;'-.i; in that respect than people generally seem: to.'.' :, , give \is credit for. Patients aro,all classified ,'..■ according -. to their: separate-.' dispositions -' • and . - ;•■ conditions. I quite admit that something fur- ' '-''■'- ther isdosirablo, but.all the time that Ihavo., ";■'■"■■. been iii charge; I have; been. Working-in'the '-.'i direction V of. securing, a .more. complctoY and/i: : satisfactory classification." ,'- : .'. , >;- : : ,: ,: ; i\- ■■■'■''■ ..Theinspectors and Official visitors,;who wers:-,. not officers.of the Department, all spoke in;. ! :V----terms .of the very f higuest praise of the man- ,; ngonient-pi .the institutions, Baid Mr. Fowlds. ~•'■', Just at present the extra pressure, of, last year's." V" patieuts . was rather overcrowding, them,-: but'■'■\.-, ,; , the Department.was,dealing-with-,that as,rap- -.- !.',': idly as- possible by the provision: of. separate, ■.-■"'■'.:. rccoiving -homes; and; the .completion;, 6j,>;.(lis - ; bnildings at. the existing institutions, so as: to ; ;".{' ■-.'■'"■ have, tneni '.'as fully - organised for ; their .work'- .1 y-. m possible.', He, expected,that:building.would, : '' bo BtartoJ before, very, long ou:the proposed '...': new institution up'the. Main- Trunk-line,' in tho,.-.: construction of which 'special/attention-would,-' ;,-/: -.be given to classification.,:';...'' :.,'.;. :y ■-':iy-C~''■