Friday, April 3, 2015

MEALS ON WHEELS

Excerpt from 'THE CLOCK OF TIME' by Gertrude Ruston.  (pp 153-154)

"Meals on Wheels

During the time I was President of the Soroptimist Club of Perth, one of our members, who was the Superintendent of the Silver Chain District Nursing Association, drew attention to the very real need for some home help to be provided as an addition to the nursing aid given by her service.  She asked if the Soroptimist Club of Perth would be prepared to establish some form or home help, as the Silver Chain nurses did not undertake cleaning, washing or cooking and people living alone had a great need of some help.

Members were entirely sympathetic but we were all busy women and, as a new club, it was felt such an undertaking was beyond us.  After discussion I asked if the club would allow me to put the request to the Women's Service Guilds, of which I was State Secretary, and I was requested to take that action.

At the next meeting of the Guilds' State Executive the matter was discussed and, although this was not the Guilds' work, it was agreed that a pilot scheme should be conducted by me from the office, with the assistance of Mrs Florence Hummerston and Mrs Gladys Christie."  (I got to know Mrs Christie well in later years and have in my possession a lovely small china bowl and china spoon she gave me back in the 1960s).

"We approached Mr Frank Boan for the use of an office on the second floor of Boans Perth Building, and he was kind enough to grant it together with the use of essential furniture.  We obtained publicity and people were asked to offer their services or, if in need of help. to seek same at the office in Boans which was manned by Mrs Christie.

After a short trial period it was obvious that there was a definite need for a properly established home help service, and the government was asked for its assistance.  The Guilds then handed the project over to Mrs Hummerston, one of the Perth Guild members, and she was assisted by the government in setting up what is known as the League of Home Help.

This has proved a very worthwhile service for the sick and aged, but was not sufficient for the needs of Silver Chain, which eventually started its own Home Help Service when Sister K. Barnes was Superintendent of the Nursing Service.

South Australia started an organisation known as Meals on Wheels, which was due to the efforts of a severely crippled woman in that State,  The League of Home Help and Silver Chain had both found there was a definite need for such a service in W.A., and after obtaining all the information possible from South Australia, Mrs Hummerston started Meals on Wheels in association with the League of Home Help.
This marvellous service allows hot meals to be delivered by voluntary car drivers five days a week, for which a nominal fee is charged.  Extra meals are delivered on Fridays for the weekend.  This scheme has spread to other districts and is run, in some cases, by local Councils.

Many of our local Councils now have very helpful aid for the sick and aged.  Our own Cockburn Council has what is known as "Cockburn Care" and once you have proved yourself eligible for help you can have house cleaning, window cleaning, gutter cleaning, gardening and odd jobs done and some people are taken to do their weekly shopping or even taken to medical appointments.  It is not expensive as it is government subsidised so well within the means of most pensioners.  We have a regular lady who comes in one hour a fortnight to clean and I am always amazed at how much she gets done in that time, plus she is a very delightful English lass who on Tuesday popped in unexpectedly to introduce us to her brother who is here on a visit from England.  Every five weeks an Indian gentleman comes in and does our lawns either with a mower or whipper-snipper.  Looking outside today I realised it's time I rang them and booked someone to clean our windows too!

13 comments:

  1. It is lovely to hear where these much needed services had their beginnings. As families become smaller, busier and more mobile I suspect they are more necessary than ever. And hope they continue.

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    1. I think with so many people back in the workforce these days the older people are more reliant on 'outside' help than many years ago.
      Mum, in her later years, took advantage of some of the services which were available. I think she deserved to after all the good she did for so many years.

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  2. I love the Meals on Wheels concept, they do a fabulous job. I applied to be a volunteer twice, at separate locations, but they didn't want me, which was disappointing.
    My dad applied for Meals on Wheels a few months before he died, I heard from him later that he actually expected to be delivered three meals a day and have them served on proper plates like in a restaurant. When he discovered the reality, he was quite rude to the delivery women, who no doubt simply accepted this as another crotchety old man. When I heard what he said to them I was very annoyed and told him off rather forcefully. A few days later he told me I was fat and stupid.

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    1. I couldn't help smiling when you told of your dad's experiences with Meals on Wheels. He obviously didn't appreciate your reprimand.
      I am sure thousands of people do accept M on W served the way they are. Better than going hungry.

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  3. Hari OM
    Good ol' meals on wheels; an essential service that has seen its fair share of ups and downs. The arrival of so many ready-made meals on supermarket shelves caused it to wobble a bit. Nothing substitutes for the kind of contact that a weekly visit can provide though - however tenuous. My father's weekly homehelp is a delightful young lady and we know we can rely on her to keep an eye on him! YAM xx

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    1. With generations living longer and longer there is sure to be more in need of home help of many kinds. Not everyone wants to go into a retirement centre or nursing home and if we can maintain a reasonable life in our own homes so much the better.
      I am so glad your father has a nice young lady to keep an eye on him. Must make you feel happier about him. xx

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  4. There are some wonderful services out there aimed at helping us to remain in our homes. You must be very proud of your Mom for being such a social activist in her day.

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    1. You are so right about the wonderful services available, at least in the Western world. Not so sure about some of the Third Word countries but hopefully that will happen eventually.
      Yes, Delores, I am very proud of my mum and wish I'd had the endeavour to follow in her footsteps. One of my granddaughters is involved in some community work in her area so perhaps she will help continue on the good works.

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  5. G'day ...... my names Charlie and I popped over from Aunty Yam's blog to say g'day. Crikey ..... I hope we can be friends. I haven't had a chance yet to read much of your blog but I will get round to it. I LOVE Aunty Yam. She is such a good friend. You live in WA?? I live in Qld. I travel all over Australia with Mum and Dad. I haven't been to WA yet but maybe one day, aye?? I'm glad you are getting some help in your home. My Nan is 96 and she lives in a nursing home now but she was in her own place until a few years ago and she had all sorts of help like that too and meals on wheels. How good are they?? It's nice to meet you.

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    1. Hi Charliedownunder and thanks for paying my blog a visit. I am so glad you found us here and hope you may perhaps look back on some of the posts to learn a little more of some of the good things my mum did.
      Yes I live in a suburb of Perth where we are having very hot Easter.
      Yam and I are great friends and just hit it off so well.
      Wonderful to have a Nan who is 96, what an achievement and glad she was able to stay in her own home for so long.
      The services available today help older people so much.
      It's nice to meet you as well and I too hope we will become friends. : )

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  6. Wow! It is amazing to think that the Home Help idea grew into Meals on Wheels and, eventually, into Home and Community Care. Also, that we share the same good fortune to be recipients of Cockburn Care. I also know that "very delightful English lass" because she comes to my place when my regular carer is on holiday or is sick. We live in a small and amazing world.

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    1. I am pleased to know you are finding out about who lots of these organisations got off the ground. It took people with a lot of foresight to really get things moving and we should be so thankful that they did.
      So, you too are 'looked after' by Cockburn Care. I wonder if that English lass is named Jenny? She is our regular but while she is on leave for 4 weeks we have a delightful lass by the name of Sylvia who is from Venezuela. I find office staff and those who work for them all fantastic folk.
      Thanks again for paying a visit.

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    2. It is indeed Jenny and, like you, I think all the people at Cockburn Care are fantastic. I don't know what I would do without them, especially Vicki, Jenny and Carol, my regular carer.
      Yes, as a history buff, I love reading about how things developed and by whom. Your mother and Co could be seen as the forerunners of the 1970s Women's Movement; although I'm sure they would not have called themselves feminists or Women's Liberationists. Still, they probably were very inspirational.

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