The Concepts of Health, Disability, Illness and Behaviour Research Paper

Task 1

1.1 The concepts of Health, Disability, Illness and Behaviour

Health

Any person who is healthy should be able to care for him/herself; for instance, such a person should be able to manage mental, physical, or social challenges that he/she faces (Carr, 2011). Therefore, a healthy individual has the capability to carry out his/her daily chores without any challenge or difficulty (Gentry et al., 2010). Health and social care are one of the critical and important aspects of people's lives (VanBergeijk et al., 2008). However, in the recent years, people have changed their perceptions towards the use of health and social care services. Before, people relied on the use of health and social care only in instances where they required urgent care. Today, that perception has changed as people become more aware of the significance of routine check-up and the need to become physically fit. A healthy person should possess all the general stands for the normal and sound process of every function that involves the human body (Dennis, 2003). Similarly, it is important for Mr. and Mrs. E to be aware of the significance of health and social care to help them manage the needs of HL. Since everyone is busy occupied with their daily chores, it becomes difficult to manage his needs as well. The problems he faces every day due to his inability to hearing impairment could be taken care of with the assistance from the health and social care providers. Therefore, in case Mr. and Mrs. E cannot afford to pay for a social care provider it would be important to admit HL in a social care institution where he his needs can be taken care of effectively. Further, a healthy person has access to social services such as vocation without difficulties or challenges. However, in this case of HL, his ability to do his chores like dress-up and wash his clothes have been limited because he cannot talk; thus, he needs assistance with the basic tasks as Mrs. E says in the case. HL cannot accomplish his basic tasks like washing and dressing which shows that he requires a caregiver to help him accomplish the basic tasks mentioned above.

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Illness

Illness is understood as a condition that is usually caused by disease and is experienced for a prolonged period of time. Therefore, it affects the normal body functions and operations including the mental abilities. An individual suffering from any illness mostly cannot accomplish his/her basic tasks by him/herself and instead requires a caregiver to help him/her. Illness affects both the patient suffering from the disease and the caregiver. From the side of the patient, the illness can extend its effect on the mental abilities; thus, affecting his/her abilities to make decisions. On the side of the caregiver, taking care of the ill consumes his/her time; thus, he/she cannot be productive in the society as anyone else. Illness can also be understood as a condition that depicts the behavior which is inconsistent with an individual's regular behavior in relation to health factors. It is also understood as the inconsistency between the bodily and psychological operations of the human body. Illness can also be understood as a condition.

Disability

Disability is defined as a physical impairment that prevents someone from having a normal life like everyone else (Payne, 2011). A person with disability cannot move from one place to another comfortably like normal people do. They cannot be able to accomplish their needs such as having education and vocation at their comfort because they need a caregiver in every step they make. From the case study, HL has a disability because he cannot talk; hence, he is not able to accomplish his basic needs like dressing and washing his clothes. His education is also affected after being locked away in the mental institution. Therefore, the disability has made it difficult for him to lead a normal life like other children. Disability can also be understood as a partial torture in relation to a person's bodily functions. Sometimes, an individual may become disabled due to accident or diseases. But, sometimes it begins from the time an individual is born. Again, an individual may have a single disability or he may have multiple disabilities, which could result in other serious illnesses such as epilepsy. Examples of multiple disabilities include sclerosis and spina Bifida.

People with disabilities or serious illnesses tend to be stigmatized or discriminated. There was a time when it was considered a societal norm that people with illness or disabilities be discriminated. However, that has since changed with the development of various health and social care services as well as policy framework regarding disabilities. Technology has also helped greatly minimize the cases of stigmatization and discrimination among the ill and disabled (Nutbeam, 2008). For example, unlike the old days when wheelchairs had not emerged, the disabled who could not walk relied on their family or well-wishers to help them with their daily chores. However, this has changed today as the disabled are able to go on their daily and normal businesses due to the introduction of assistance machines such as the automatic wheelchairs. With the introduction of technology and modernization of the health and social care services, it is easier for people to recover from illness. The problem of mental illness like HL's, is a common health issue that many people generally experience, but with the changes in the health and social care services, the problem has rapidly improved. Further, the social problems that were experienced due to illness and disability condition such as stigmatization and discrimination have also reduced significantly because of the continuous awareness by the government, social care providers as well as nongovernmental organizations. Disability itself is not the problem, but instead, the way the society looks at it is the key problem that continues to make the disability and illness issues difficult to manage.

Behavioural Issues

When people experience what they have not experienced before, they change behaviour. Consequently, such people can demonstrate visible sign of mental challenge as a result of depression or unfavourable conditions for them; hence, they can be aggressive (Carr, 2011). The behavioural change provides information about the patient and how to design interventional strategies and approaches that may be suitable for his/her needs. Adreon and Durocher (2007) explain that people with mental issues can show the physical signs of mental challenges caused by depression which can lead to their reservation as well as aggression. Behavior can be understood as a challenging condition that puts an individual or those around him or her at risk which could result in a poorer quality of life. The challenging behaviors include aggression, self-harm as well as disruptiveness (Adreon & Durocher, 2007). All these conditions can affect the ability of an individual to work with people or engage in their daily activities. However, if the caregiver cannot understand the behavioral issues of their patients, it would not have impact in the social care service offered. Most of the mentally challenged individuals have challenges in communicating their opinions or ideas. This can be misinterpreted by someone who does not understand the importance of communication in social care provision. Communication is considered the key and common way of interacting with the patients because it enables the caregiver to understand the needs, likes as well as dislikes of their patients so as to determine the best interventional strategies. Therefore, as a caregiver, one needs to understand why the patients are behaving in a certain way. For example, recognizing the early signs or warnings through the way the patients behave can help interpret what they want. Sometimes, they may be bored, feeling anxious or even feeling pain, but because they are unable to express their feelings due to communication challenges they may be frustrated further. From the case study, HL's behaviour changed when the driver decided to take another route picking other people along the way. But, because the therapy facility management could not understand his needs and the reason that led to his aggressiveness they forced him to be admitted in a mental hospital that extended his suffering. It was important that the driver and the therapy facility management understand HL's needs and the expectation of the people he lived with, Mr. and Mrs. E.

1.2 How perceptions of specific needs have changed over time

People with special and specific needs have been neglected and side-lined from the day-to-day societal decisions. According to Bradshaw (2000), some people are neglected by their families while the general public is side-lined by the government. However, the government has made some attempts to change the situation by establishing hospitals or homes for those that require specialized care to enable them continue with their lives like everyone else. Since majority of the families with people that need special care were unable to understand the needs of their loved ones with disability, they took them to these hospitals which became overcrowded; leading to their closure due to poor services (Glasby, 2012). People with specific needs require attention almost every time because they cannot do anything on their own. However, this can be misinterpreted as a disturbance or burdening by someone who does not understand the health and social care issues revolving around the people with special needs. Fiscella et al. (2000) highlight how the government and families of the people with specific needs have neglected their responsibilities of taking care of them. Arndt et al. (2006) argue that with the increased mass level awareness in the recent years, people have become more knowledgeable about the special care services and needs. This has changed the way the government and the public perceive people with the specific needs (Arndt et al., 2006). Unlike many years ago when families were not equipped with the information and resources to care for their loved ones with specific needs, today most families are equipped to provide the special care to the needy people. As a result, most of the facilities that were overcrowded have been reduced. Further, with the involvement and engagement of the government, more resources have been mobilized to help improve the social care for the needy people. More staffs have been transferred to the social care facilities and equipped with resources including financial assistance. Carson et al. (2007) highlight the significance of...