CRIPPLED CHILDREN

Dominion, Volume 35, Issue 259, 31 July 1942, Page 3

CRIPPLED CHILDREN

Much Help Given And New Cases Found Extremely good work was being done and the committee wus very satisfied with the results, said Air. Ernest n. Hunt, chairman, in the seventh annual report of the executive of the Melni'gton branch of the New Zealand Crippled Children Society, 'to. be presented at the annual meeting on Wednesday. tor the past year 105 new eases had been added to the register, 85 for welfare and aftercare, 7 for financial assistance, It), for vocational guidance, and three for employment. Eighty-two cases were transferred or withdrawn, leaving a totai or 401. ' The welfare officers paid 1242 visits to hornett, 869 visits were received at the office and 711 children attended dimes at tlie hospital. Forty-three eases from other branches wore also dealt with. Mrs. A. E. Dement, welfare, officer,- continued to visit crippled children in' tnrnr homes, arranged ami attended orthopaedic clinics at the outpatient department of the Wellington Hospital, so that she may be certain the doctor’s recommendation was correctly carried out; A second welfare officer. Airs. G.. Rankin, was appointed last year to carry out work in Bower Hutt and Petonc, and in the Hutt and Miikara counties. .■ , . ... „ A survey to find crippled children needing assistance and treatment was. made. One. of the typical cases found was a boy aged four, suffering from a dislocated hip and general run-down condition of health. He was granted live weeks’ holiday at a children’s holiday home. During the search a country boy aged nine was found suffering from a cleft palate. He had had no operative treatment and his. parent# were not aware that anything could be done. Due to successful operative treatment he. now had a. normal palate and the society bad passed a grant to. cover cost of special lessons in speech-training. Ten nc.w cases of osteomyelitis were added during the year ; seven cases of cleft palate were registered, and only two cases; suffering front tuberculosis. There were six new eases of infantile paralysis added. Medical, benefits ano surgical appliances; including invalid and push-chairs,were supplied. I t.was.'gratifying to report that a special walking frame lent to a small boy was largely responsible.for his learning to walk. Ten children spent periods of convalescence in home and on farms and the branch made grants in 11 cases to enable boys and girls to spend holidays on farms or by the sea. . . It was pointed out that it was not possible to hold the usual street day and there was no broadcast appeals, also, that there was increased expenditure for benefits, assistance and administration due to the extensive work done by the society. Therefore, it would be necessary during the forthcoming year to try to increase the number of annual subscribers and to seek other additional income.