Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

LONG SERVICE

Perth Hospital Worker Retires
The Royal Perth Hospital is to lose Miss A. Eakins, who, for health reasons, s retiring from the social service department there. Since 1928 she has been in charge of the department and has consistently fought to make West Australians aware of the need for trained social workers in the community and for medical social workers in hospital organisations. A trained nurse, Miss Eakins served in Salonicka during World War I. In 1935-6 she went to Melbourne and did a special course in medical social work. Since then she has endeavoured to keep in touch with the progress that has been made in this field in other parts of Australia, England and America. As far as the Perth Hospital is concerned, she has striven to establish the department on lines comparable with those of the big hospitals in the other States of Australia and she will leave a solid foundation for future work and expansion. Nowadays the medical social worker is an essential part of a hospital team and it was through Miss Eakins's efforts that trained staff from the Eastern States and England have been employed in the department from time to time. She also established an auxiliary of voluntary car drivers, which has done a great deal to assist both the hospital and patients by transporting the latter to and from the hospital for either discharge or treatment. An ambulance for this work is now being constructed. Handicrafts taught to patients by voluntary workers of the Country Women's Association and others; correspondence lessons with the supervision of a teacher from the Education Department-these are some of the activities that Miss Eakins has started. In addition, many of her patients will remember her with gratitude and affection, while her fellow workers will remember her as one whose energies and interests are devoted to helping others.

The West Australian Tuesday 02 December 1947 page 3

PERTH HOSPITAL.
Sister Eakins' s Work.

Eulogistic reference to charitable works undertaken by various bodies in Melbourne was made by Sister A. Eakins (social service sister at Perth Hospital) in the course of an interview on Saturday morning.- Sister Eakins returned recently from a 28 days' visit to Melbourne where, through the courtesy of the Melbourne Hospital, she was able to observe the social service methods adopted there by the Almoners' Society, a report of which she furnished to the Perth Hospital Board last week. For the past six years Sister Eakins has been doing excellent work at the Perth Hospital, but her activities have necessarily been confined for the most part to in-patients. Now, with the appointment of one or two assistants, she is looking forward with enthusiasm to expanding the work on the lines of that done in Melbourne.''Of course,' she remarked, 'we will only be able to make a small beginning, but there is no knowing what it might develop into in time. There is certainly a great need for more of this sort of work. To quote one case as an example. About 12 months ago a woman came into hospital with a bad heart condition. When she was fit to be discharged we arranged to send her to a convalescent home for some time, but were not able to follow up her case, as would have been done under the Melbourne system. Now she is back in hospital as bad as ever owing to various unfortunate occurrences at home. If only it had been possible to give her a complete rest from work and worry her illness would probably not have recurred.

The Day's Round.

Outlining her daily routine at the hospital, Sister Eakins said that in the morning she got a list of new patients, examined their cards to see what their home conditions were and also to discover whether they needed any help. Then she made a round of the wards and chatted with the patients themselves and also with the sisters. Sometimes she found that a patient needed telephone messages sent to relatives, or perhaps a woman was worrying about children at home. Any matters that might be disturbing their minds were attended to in order that worries might not retard their recovery. A list of discharges was also obtained so that the sister could ascertain whether a patient desired arrangements to be made for getting home, whether there was anyone at home to look after him, and where he was to convalesce. As many patients as possible were sent to convalescent homes. Clothing very often had to be procured for out-going patients from sympathetic organisations, or sometimes from members of the hospital staff. Transferences to other institutions, such as the Old Men's Home, etc., were also arranged and, where necessary, pensions papers were filled in. There were innumerable ways in which services could be rendered. Up to the present time, the social service work had only been carried out on a very small scale compared with what was done in Melbourne, but nevertheless much good work had been accomplished. Now, with the appointment of another sister and a clerk for the clerical side of the work, the social service would be extended, but at first it would not be possible to visit homes of past patients. However, as the work extended and the staff was enlarged, it was hoped that even this would be possible.

The Origin of Almoners.

The system of almoners, as operating in Melbourne, Sister Eakins explained,had originated about 58 years ago in England, where almoners were now considered necessary for every hospital with over 100 beds. The almoner was a link-up between the hospital and the outside world. She did not work indiscriminately, but cooperated with other organisations and enlisted the interest and help of the patient himself. In Melbourne the first almoner had been sent out and financed from England until the movement was on a sound basis. There was now an Almoners' Society, which worked in close co-operation with the Charity Organisation Society. Trained social workers collected with the latter body helped considerably in investigating cases, while the Travellers' Aid Society also did invaluable work for country patients, meeting them on arrival in the city, and looking after them for three days until they were ready to enter the hospital. There were four almoners and seven third-year student almoners at the Melbourne Hospital, and also a voluntary worker who did splendid work in visiting diabetic patients in their homes for three days after their discharge from hospital. This was to ensure that they prepared their food in the correct way. A written report on every case was handed to the almoner by this worker. Sister Eakins hopes that, when the work is established on the new basis at Perth Hospital, it will be possible to enlist voluntary helpers — particularly those who could make cars available. The District Nursing Association of Victoria, she said, had a splendid system by which a car was available for the nurses every day in the year by voluntary helpers. It was also hoped to co-operate closely with the Child Welfare Department in regard to investigating the home conditions of patients.

Home Conditions Important.

Home conditions played a big part in the health of the patient, and it was therefore essential for almoners to be in full cognisance of the circumstances surrounding the lives of their patients. An understanding of psychology was also an important feature of an almoner's training. One case brought under Sister Baking's notice in Melbourne concerned a child suffering from skin disease who had been followed up for four years by the almoners. This child would be sent to hospital ,treated, discharged as cured, and would then return to hospital in a short time with the condition as bad as ever. The trouble was a nervous one, and, after investigations had been made by an almoner, it was decided that home conditions were aggravating the complaint. Therefore, with the mother's permission, the child was put in an institution. Now, after two years, the skin trouble has vanished, and soon the patient will be returned to his home, cured. Until comparatively recently, the mother had not been allowed to visit the child, as it was felt that a complete breaking away from home influence was essential to his recovery. The almoners were also doing wonderful work in regard to infantile paralysis in Melbourne. Sister Eakins continued. It was not possible to keep these cases in hospital as long as was really necessary, and they were therefore followed up into their homes and treated by itinerary masseuses who brought the patients to the doctors' clinic once a week. There were six of these itinerary masseuses. The almoners arranged for the supply of instruments and other necessities for treatment (the patients paying whatever amount they could afford), and very often children who had suffered from infantile paralysis were followed up for five or six years. Sister Eakins sees no reason why the work should not develop along similar lines in Western Australia, provided it is given sufficient support, and she is anxious to put some of her new ideas into operation. A second room has been placed at her disposal in the outpatients' department for the extension of the Work, and here her assistant sister will take up her position, and will greatly relieve the strain on the casualty room by attending to minor accidents, in addition to her other duties. Sister Eakins was for three years connected with the Child Welfare Department in Melbourne, and it was there that her deep interest in social service was stimulated. Now. with additional facilities at her disposal, it will be interesting to watch the development of this very excellent side of hospital work.

The West Australian Monday 02 July 1934 page 14