[Understanding Specific Needs in Health and Social Care

[Understanding Specific Needs in Health and Social Care]

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Table of Contents

Overview to Holland park case study. 3

Health. 3

Illness. 4

Disability. 4

Behavioral Issues. 4

Overview Of Case Study. 6

Overview to Case study. 9

Approaches and Interventions Available For Autistic Patients. 10

General Intervention Strategies. 10

Psychological Interventions. 12

Vocational Interventions. 12

Evaluate the effectiveness of intervention strategies for individuals with specific need(s) 12

Potential impact of emerging developments on support for individuals with specific needs 13
Overview To Case Study. 13

Explain different concepts of challenging behavior 14

Describe the potential impact of challenging behavior on health and social care organizations 15

Analyze strategies for working with challenging behaviors associated with specific needs 16

Bibliography. 18

Overview to Holland park case study

Am social worker at a care home based in London and has met patients with complex needs that
require specialized care and others that can be handled at family level or with minimal care giver
intervention. Therefore, demands of most of our patients are different and require be analyzing
and understanding clearly, so that an intervention that will be used meets the demands of the
patient. Holland Park is visually impaired and his family has sought the services of our facility to
enable them understand and know how his basic needs can be met. In orders to come up with the
best way of helping Mr. park it is prudent that I met him and his family and understand the
concept of health , illness, disability and behavior of the patient. After the meeting with Holland
park family I was supposed to analyze and report the concepts of disability, illness and behavior
in relation to health and social care. Also how perception of specific needs and legislation has
changed over time.

Analyze concepts of disability, illness and behavior in relation to health and social care

During the discussion and assessment with Mr. parks family I was able to identify various aspect
in relation to the above statement that will be helpful in coming up with the most effective
intervention for Mr. park. They include health, illness, disability and behavior which I have
defined in detail below.

Health
A person who is healthy should be able to manage any challenge that is physical, mental or
social. Therefore, a healthy person should be able to perform his/her daily chores and have
access to social services like vocation efficiently without any complication (Gentry et al. 2010
p.103). However, in the case of Mr. Park this has been limited due to that he is visually impaired
and at time will require the services of a caregiver for him to accomplish some of his daily
activities.

Illness
This is defined as a condition such as disease that is prolonged, hence affecting the body and
mind of the individual. A person suffering from an illness mainly rely on others for them to
accomplish they daily basic needs. This dependency has effect on the mental health of the sick
person and also affects the productivity of those giving the services.

Disability
Disability is a physical impairment that hinders an individual to have a normal life like moving
from one place to the next comfortably, having an education or vocation. Mr. Park is visually
impaired hence not able to have an education and to lead a normal life.

Behavioral Issues
When people are faced with health issues they change in behavior. As a result, this person will
show visible sign of mental problem brought by depression. Furthermore, they become reserved,
poorly gloomed or aggressive (Adreon et al. 2007 p.278). Behavioral change offers information
about a patient and how to develop an intervention place that well suits the specific needs of the
patient.

When I met with Holland’s park family I discovered that they have observed some behavioral
changes with Park. However, it was important for to understand the needs of the patient and the
expectations of the family from the social workers.

How awareness of specific needs have changed overtime.

For a very long time people with specific needs have been neglected by their families and
government (Fiscella 2000). However, over the years people have become enlightened and more
aware that these people are as important as the rest of us only that they require specialized care
for them to perform their daily chores (Arndt 2006 p.200). Government in the past had put up
hospitals that catered for this individual suffering from physical and mental illness which were
later closed down. Most families were not well equipped to give care to needy people and hence
sent them to this facilities which became overcrowded and in turn offered poor services.

To improve the services given, the government transferred staffs that were working in the
facilities to social care facilities with an aim of boosting the quality of care given. However,
social care had its shortcoming especially when giving it to people with learning disabilities who
lived and communities and had to compete health care with the rest of the population. As in my
case study of Mr. Park I was able to conclude that the major concern of the family is where he
can access specialized care that will be customized to his specific need. Increased government
intervention, human rights groups and social workers the larger population have become more
aware of specific needs overtime (Carson & Dunbar 2007 p.55).

How legislation, social policy and culture affect the way individual with specific need get
services
Legislations are important in ensuring the persons with special needs are treated equally without
discrimination. They should ensure that those with specific needs get equal access, treatment,
outcomes and opportunities (Carr 2010). Furthermore, this person should be treated with dignity,
allowed to take part in community activities and also choose the life they want to live without
much interference and at the same time been protected from any harm.

To achieve this government and other organization s have come up with initiatives that are
revolutionizing health and social care services. They have ensured that patients with special
needs get the best health and social care services. Also due to human rights involvement, the
government has been pressured to keep on updating these policies to make them better.

Culture and social policies also determine the kind of care that will be given to persons with
special needs. Over the years it has been observed that people have discriminated people with
illness to the extent of secluding them in social event and at times putting them away when there
are visitors around. According to most culture people are discriminated based on their color,
political affiliation or region and this result in physical abuse and isolation. People with special
need needs to get healthcare services with dignity and respect from caregivers. Current
legislation includes;

1. Children’s Trust: It is mandated with the task of developing policies that involve children
and youths.
2. Care Trust: with ten organizations Care Trust has been touted as a complete union of
social and healthcare in the country.

 Health Act: this act gives flexibility to care givers on how to pool their budget, develop a
leading commission arrangement and integrate their services with other care givers.

Overview Of Case Study

HL is an autistic man who has lived with Mr. and Mrs. E as his caregivers after a long time in a
mental institution. During his stay with the caregivers HL has had a remarkable improvement on
his behavior and the way he relates to people. This has been about by the love and integration
that Mr. and Mrs. E have given him. However, in the recent past HL has been exhibiting
challenging behavior due to him being forcefully locked up in a mental institution and his driver
making picks while with him.

Analyze the care needs of individual with special needs

HL can be categorized as a vulnerable adult that require special care. He is autistic and not able
to carry out daily chores without the help of a care giver. However, according to the case study it
has been established that HL was having a comfortable life while living with Mr. and Mrs. E but
all this changed when the facilities he was going for therapy changed their driver. As a result, HL
started to be reserved, uncooperative, and temperamental and anger to others.

As a caregiver I find it necessary that Mr. and Mrs. E should seek services of a professional
health care givers especially after HL come home only ate and slept for three weeks. This was a
sign of depression and mental problem that resulted from the torture and poor services at the
hospital.

After evaluation and studying the case of HL, I have suggested that HL seek treatment as I have
indicated below. The said treatment method should be carried at different stages by psychiatrists,
occupational therapist, social workers, community nurses and physiologists.

 Before treating HL it is important to first understanding the root cause of his change in
behavior
 After understanding the root cause of his behavior, start by treating it.
 According to HL case environment and social factors have contributed to his behavior
change, therefore, helping him deal with them will be crucial in his recovery.
 Autistic people like HL have been known to have anger issues. Therefore, a framework
on how to manage his anger will be developed with the help of professional care giver
 As an institution mandated with giving care to people with special need, there are policies
and guidelines that enable us to be in constant communication with the patient to make
sure he is receiving the best care. Also we will communicate with Mr. and Mrs. E
constantly to monitor his improvements.
 However, if the above therapeutic methods show no improvement on the health of HL,
prescription drugs will be administered with aid of a qualified medical doctor.

Since HL is autistic and unable to communicate or talk for himself, Mr. and Mrs. E will play a
vital role during the healing process because he seems to trust them. However, since they are not
qualified caregivers they will require to be trained on how to deal with him. As a care giver I will
give relevant information to them and they will in turn apply them when dealing with HL. In the
case of HL different practitioner will be involved; hence proper protocol should be followed.
They should be transparent and communicate with everyone involved by giving information that
is not biased to each other. Furthermore, government policies and laws should be followed such
as European regulation on drugs been administered to the patient.

Current Systems for Supporting Individuals with Special Needs

According to HL case it has been observed that if there were proper laws that safeguarded his
human rights and dignity he could have not gone through the mental suffering he went through at
the hospital. The hospital locked him up against his will by taking advantage of the fact that he
could not talk and also invoking a clause in the health act. After what happened to HL the
government has developed strategies that improve health and reduce inequality that is face by
people with special needs.

According to the government, empowering the community with information on how to deal with
people with specific needs will greatly improve their health. Therefore, the government has
delegated officials in communities that will work closely with different non-governmental
organizations, volunteers, local agencies and local authorities to develop a framework that will
improve health of the community and in event reduce inequality.
Secondly, a health promotion framework that comprises of health services, community and
education approaches was developed with aim of improving and proving best health practices to
people with special needs. Furthermore, the framework addresses inequality and social factors of
the health of an individual and the community at large. This framework if adhered to it will
promote health and curb inequality among people with specific needs.

Services Available To Persons with Specific Needs

Discrimination is very rampant in London and has been touted as the main reason why people
are continuing to get poor health services. Furthermore, most of this people having low economic
status, and will be at a higher risk of having mental problems (Bradshaw 2000 p.38). The low
economic status results in poor education and hence lack of information regarding health and
government institutions that can help them deal with the problem. Another group of people that
are at risk of suffering from mental health complications are immigrants who are discriminated
and lack finances to invest in health policies.

In the long run these individuals will seclude themselves from the community and people. The
seclusion will complicate their ailments which can be dangerous. However, there group of
professionals that have dedicated themselves to helping people with specific needs. They include
general practitioners who offer health services to everyone without discrimination. Secondly,
primary care trust who offer preventive care without any bias to the community. Lastly, NHS
centers which mainly use phone to offer information to the community.

Overview to Case study

HL was an autistic man who could not talk or wash himself, but who was okay by any means and
his living with his guardians, Mr. and Mrs. E, who had taken him to take of him as their children
were all grown up and they lived alone. HL went about his activities within the house normally,
and he knew exactly where everything he needed was kept. Unfortunately, when one day after
three years a new driver came to take him to the day centre, which he was obligated to visit at
least once a week, came and took him through a different route, he got agitated and the resulting
outcome was that he was detained illegally leading to court battle in which Mr. and Mrs. E sort
to have HL discharged from the mental facility where he had been held illegally.

Approaches and Interventions Available For

Autistic Patients
While autism is a condition that has no cure, people with autism can still enjoy life just as much
as any normal person can. It is important that caregivers understand the different intervention
methods which they can use in order to attain a level of openness with the autistic individuals
and help them engage in activities that other people do with the understanding that they are
different (VanBergeijk et al 2008 p.1369). In fact, autistic people are normal, only that they are
special in the cognition abilities. Some of the approaches that can be used by caregivers include
the following:-
General Intervention Strategies
 Help the autistic individuals in using alternative or argumentative communication
methods since they are not able to communicate in the standard way. Obviously, these
people have a way of expressing themselves and knowing how they use it is a step
towards helping them fit in the society.
 Advocacy; includes a wide range of methods and approaches that can be used in
changing policies and practices or event attitude s and behavior in the society which
discriminate against the autistic and give them an equal platform in the society to
function without obstacles(Hammer 2004 p.296).
 Behavioral and developmental interventions; the majority of autistic people are left
without much attention from family and the society, denying them opportunities to
improve their cognitive abilities, and hence make them dependent on the other members
of the society. Unfortunately, that approach is retrogressive and what needs to be done is
to improve their developmental abilities through programs that are educative and which
use strategies that are accommodative for the special needs of the individuals.
 Autonomy and empowerment; includes ensuring that all opportunities available that
could of benefit to the autistic and which have potential to improve the quality of life of
the autistic are made available to them. For instance, autistic people may not be sociable
within the society, but they could use their talents in the society which they can gain
personal satisfaction from such as working in maintenance projects. They only want to be
left alone to go about their business without interruption and they are good to go.
 Counseling and psychotherapy; since autistic people know that they are different, and
they know that they need to cope with their conditions and aggression, it would be
important that they are offered counseling and psychoanalysis which could help them
integrate well in the society and to handle issues within the society in a manner that is
understandable to the rest of the people (Browning et al. 2009 p.37). During such
sessions, the autistics are offered information concerning their disorders, which make it
easy for them to cope with the society.
 Physical interventions; this includes a range of activities such as exercise and monitoring
the individuals to ensure that they handle their aggression and frustration in a positive and
constructive way instead of embarking on self hurting activities. Unfortunately, some
autistic people have handled aggression by hurting themselves through pain inducing
activities such as pulling off their fingernails, hair and eyebrow. Monitoring their
activities go a long way towards prevention of such activities.

Psychological Interventions
 Psychotherapy; reacting to situations in the same way that HL reacted when his usual
driver was changed and the subsequent change of the route towards the day centre
resulted from failure of the patient to psychologically prepare for change. Other reactions
to different situations which autistic people could have include depression, suicidal
tendency, personality changes and anxiety. Such reactions can be eliminated by
psychologically preparing the individual of changes and eventualities which are different
from a routine. HL was initially much institutionalized, but he eventually adjusted to live
 in the home of Mr. and Mrs. E. Such adaptability should be applied in all activities in the
life of the autistic. Proper psychoanalysis would not have raised alarm in HL and he
would not have reacted in the way he did.

Vocational Interventions
 They include identification of those tasks that the autistic is talented and which they can
use to make financial gains and make them less dependent in the society. In the case of
HL, the intervention would help him start getting more into the routine of the outside life
and start coping with the society more positively and not restrictive to those people he is
accustomed to such as his driver and his immediate family, Mr. and Mrs. E.

Evaluate the effectiveness of intervention

strategies for individuals with specific need(s)
The intervention strategies are important because of the positive gains they give to people like
HL. Their energy and strengths are rejuvenated through physical intervention, which also helps
them in reducing their levels of anxiety and cope with societal expectations. Psychological
intervention helps them to understand them better and hence become engaged in personal
journey of transformation. Lastly, educational and vocational interventions help the autistics to
handle their independence and cope with their special needs in a more positive manner
(Wallcraft& Sweeney 2011). Essentially, when the special needs individuals understand about
their current conditions and their place in the society, they are able to handle and cope with the
challenges that come in their way better than when they think they are being discriminated
against due to their special needs.

Potential impact of emerging developments

on support for individuals with specific needs
There are many sociological developments that are emerging which affect the special needs of
individuals and they are enhanced by other scientific development including technological and
medicinal. All these developments have effects on legislation, changes in policies, regulations,
and many other sociological factors at local, regional and international levels. Some of the
impacts include:-

 Definition of special needs and fight for the rights of people with special needs
 Government policies on employment and treatment of people with special needs
 Societal integration of the individuals with special needs.

Overview To Case Study

As a social health care practitioner, it is my duty to understand some of the factors that affect the
behavior of the disabled in the society and those with special needs in order to help them and
other members of the public who come into contact with such people, or even who live with
people of special needs. This section focuses on creation of awareness on strategies that are
employed in coping with challenging behavior of individuals with special needs such as autism.

Explain different concepts of challenging

behavior
There are many challenging behavior that can be exhibited by different individuals in the society
such as rebelliousness, temper tantrums, self harming and suicidal ideations, and anger. Usually,
these aggressive behaviors are exhibited and directed towards other people. Some of the factors
that could induce such behavior include drug abuse, brain injury, learning disabilities, physical
impairment and mental health issues. Some of the behaviors considered unacceptable include:-

 Verbal abuse and bullying

 Threats
 Assault and physical abuse
 Self harm and pain infliction
 Destructive behavior

There are several factors that influence the challenging behavior. They include but not limited
to:-

 Physical Disability
 Ill health
 Sexuality
 Fatigue
 Pain
 Drugs and alcohol
 Sleep disturbance
 Learning difficulties
 Perceptions and expectations
 Emotional conditions like anxiety, fear, dependency, temperament, frustration or loss.
 There are also several social factors like relationship, culture, and ethnicity

Describe the potential impact of challenging

behavior on health and social care
organizations
There are several reactions of the society towards challenging behavior that must be understood
by social care givers. They include simple and complex reactions such as the isolation of those
individuals with challenging behavior from family and friends (Leventhal& Brooks-Gunn
p.309). Such isolation leads to inability of the affected individuals to communicate, memory
problems, inability to receive care, addiction, and lack of emotional and financial support, which
they need direly.

Additionally, due to the sense of guilt that these people develop, and also due to their mental
illnesses and disability, they are more prone to abuse. Furthermore, they have high dependency
on others and that increases their vulnerability. Sometimes, also, caregivers are stressed in their
trying to assist the elderly due to the level of difficulty they pose and that can make the caregiver
impatient and abusive as well(Stokes 2007 p.117). Unfortunately, there are risks to both the
caregiver and the person with special need. Some of the risk factors for challenging behavior are
listed as:-

 Caregiver being unable to adjust and cope with the stress which could lead to depression
 Caregivers withholding their support to their patients
 Substance abuse
 Dementia, anxiety and illnesses among the elderly
 Social isolation and consciousness for personal space
 Domestic violence from patient due to aggression
 Physical and verbal aggression directed towards the caregivers

Analyze strategies for working with

challenging behaviors associated with specific
needs
In all institutions, there are legislations, policies, procedures and code of practices which govern
both the employer and the employee. The same applies to social care and these regulations,
which define the responsibility of the employer and the social care worker, are set at national and
international level. These professionals are expected to adhere to the set standards in the
dissemination of services. Unfortunately, the rights of the persons with disabilities and special
needs but those of the social care workers are not addressed, making it hard for them because
they will always be on the lookout. Proper measures must be laid down to ensure that the special
needs individuals and individuals with challenging behavior do not harm the social care workers.
Additionally, the current legal partnership legislations have facilitated easier service delivery to
the special needs individuals. These partnerships have helped in:-

 Creation of shared principles and values

 Agreeing to the specific shifts in the policies
 Readiness in exploring the new options for services
 Determining the agreed boundaries
 Agreeing to the roles in regard to providing, purchasing and commissioning
  Indentifying the agreed pools of resources
 Ensuring the effective leadership
 Providing the capacity for sufficient development
 Paying extra attention to attitude and mutual trust

It is pertinent to note that the partnerships are based on mutual benefits for the stakeholders
which are to meet the goals and objectives of proper social care for all individuals with special
needs indiscriminately. It is, however, important to note that some of the consequences of these
regulations could be retrogressive, backward and uncouth. In the case of HL, the source of his
aggression and his behavior can be determined, and hence it was not necessary for the mental
health act to be invoked in order for him to be detained. The illegality with which he was
detained in the mental facility despite the fact that he had already adapted very well to life with
his caregivers show that that the regulations and legislations were not clear on what constitutes
unmanageable challenging behavior. First, the driver was changed without properly notifying
HL, and, secondly, the new driver changed the usual route. Looking at those developments, it is
clear that the mental facility erred.

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