Unit 21: Supporting Significant Life Events

TASK 1 – REPORT WRITING

Q1. Explain the impact of a significant life event on a service user you have worked with in

health and social care.

Life events are defined as discrete experiences that disrupt an individual's usual activities,

causing a substantial change and readjustment. Examples of life events include marriage,

divorce, illness or injury, and changing or losing a job. In the literature on stress, life events have

been traditionally considered as one type of stressor, along with chronic strains (ongoing

stressful circumstances such as living with disability or poverty). Since the pioneering work of

Tom Holmes and Richard Rahe in 1967, an enormous body of literature has developed on the

topic of life events and illness.

Contrary to the assumption that life events have uniform effects that can be measured by

life-change units, later studies have shown that the consequences of life events depend on the

nature of the events (e.g., whether they are undesirable, unpredictable, or uncontrollable).

Growing attention has been paid to subjective meaning of the events to the particular individuals

who experience them, rather than the objective occurrence of the events. Since the occurrence of

the same event can yield different meanings in each individual, subjective appraisal has been

identified as a critical part of the effect life events have on well-being (see Lazarus and

Folkman). For example, people generally think that divorce is a stressful experience; however,

for some individuals, such as those who have gone through a long-term problematic marriage,

divorce can be a resolution of stress and even a relief.

Q2. Analyse the possible responses of their family and friends to the significant life event of the individual

Psychological Responses

    The way that we perceive and react to an event or crisis is largely responsible for the ultimate

effect of that event upon us. If we can understand and make sense out of an event and draw some

objective conclusion from it which could give meaning to our life, the impact of that event will

be less dreadful. Meaninglessness, on the other hand, can be very disturbing. Sometimes

religious truth and cultural beliefs give society certain explanations and meaning to life events

which otherwise could not readily be achieved by science or reason.

    Although intellectual insight alone may not completely eliminate or alleviate the tension

generated from a threatening event, it will reduce the anxiety of ignorance. When an awareness

is confirmed by spiritual knowledge and spiritual conviction or faith, unfettered by prejudices

and superstition, human capacity for tolerance and acceptance of stressful events will expand.

Tolerance is a virtue which stems from the spiritual nature or human reality and develops during

early education through identification with important exemplars endowed with such a quality in

the world. Intellectual knowledge can explain its dynamics but cannot necessarily expand its

scope. The psychological responses are coping mechanisms, which, depending on the emotional,

physical and genetic predisposition of an individual and the nature and intensity of the threat, can

be divided into adaptive and reactive response.

(A) Adaptive Responses

    A person facing critical threat, whether of a physical or psychological nature, uses certain

emergency measures to protect his well-being and integrity. Some of these measures are based

on instincts and neurophysiological reflexes and come into action with such rapidity that the

person has no chance to reflect upon their consequences. These are emergency responses which

nature devised to protect the species facing unexpected dangers.

Q3. Analyse the impact of this significant life event on care workers and professionals involved

in their care as they were experiencing a significant life event and implications for services

Bereavement can influence every aspect of well-being, from physical and mental health to

feelings of connectedness and the ability to function at work or school. A death often means

other changes for those left behind, such as taking on new responsibilities, moving house, or

adjusting to different living standards. Learning to live with the loss of someone close is one of

the most painful experiences we can encounter.

Society’s response often makes it even harder. All too frequently, people report feeling

isolated and being expected to ‘get on with it’ after a bereavement, even when they had been

very close to the person who died or when their death had been unexpected. Three-quarters of

people who have been bereaved say they didn’t get the support they needed.

In 2012, less than half of those who wanted to talk about their feelings with someone from a

health, social care or bereavement service were able to do so. This is not least because policy

developments have been ad hoc, leading to confusion and complexity, with no clear

responsibility for meeting bereaved people’s needs. This vacuum of responsibility has

unintended consequences, making many people’s experiences of bereavement even more

difficult and further threatening their wellbeing

TASK 2 - BOOKLET

Q4. The support available from family, groups, communities and health and social care

organisations by listing them and explaining each provided. Analyse the possible responses of an

organisation of your choice to the individual with the need for support

Social support is one of most important factors in predicting the physical health and well-being

of everyone, ranging from childhood through older adults. The absence of social support shows

some disadvantage among the impacted individuals. In most cases, it can predict the

deterioration of physical and mental health among the victims.

The initial social support given is also a determining factor in successfully overcoming life

stress. The presence of social support significantly predicts the individual's ability to cope with

stress. Knowing that they are valued by others is an important psychological factor in helping

them to forget the negative aspects of their lives, and thinking more positively about their

environment. Social support not only helps improve a person's well-being, it affects the immune

system as well. Thus, it also a major factor in preventing negative symptoms such as depression

and anxiety from developing.

Health and Safety legislation applies to both the physical and psychological health of

employees, and employers need to have considered how they will respond to traumatic events in

the workplace. The University has a 'duty of care' to protect psychological as well as physical

health and to act in a reasonable manner in the light of what is known about psychological

reactions to trauma. In so doing, it seeks not only to prevent staff and students being unduly

traumatised by disasters but also to provide appropriate organisational aftercare should one

occur.

There is no specific definition of what might be a critical incident, and attention is often

focused on the more extreme events which can occur, such as a fire or terrorist threat. However,

on a smaller scale, exposure to events such as a sudden staff death or an accident in a particular

department, can affect people deeply.

Q5. Provide an evaluation by discussing the strengths and weaknesses of the organisation

policies and procedures (such as confidentiality, accessing specialist services and so on) in

supporting individuals with dementia.

Social work is practiced in a variety of settings including state services, health care, specialist

agencies, independent practices, voluntary and not-for-profit bodies, user-led organizations,

private sector companies and cooperatives.

Many social work roles help implement national policies. For example, social workers are

essential in enabling local government, schools, health care and justice services to carry out their

roles.

In safeguarding human, social and economic rights, governments and organisations that employ

social workers have a vital role, working with the profession and others, to seek to secure

sufficient resources to meet needs and maintain standards of good practice.

The public expect high quality, responsive services delivered by well-trained and competent

staff and rightly so. They are committed to bringing forward reforms in the whole health and

social care system to create a new sustainable model of care that offers excellent services and

promotes person-centred approaches.

The primary focus in bringing forward reforms will be on improving both the outcomes and

experiences of those who use our services. Social workers work with some of the most

vulnerable people in our society promoting their rights and independence and working to

improve and safeguard their social wellbeing.

They are also at the forefront in protecting children and vulnerable adults at risk of harm from

neglect, abuse or exploitation. As such, social workers play a very important role in our society

and will continue to do so. Social work is however not well understood, public confidence is

influenced by the media’s handling of individual cases and it has been recognised there is a need

to strengthen the profession across the UK.

Q6.Evaluate the dementia support available external sources in terms of suitability for this

significant life events

A diagnosis can come as a shock to the person with the condition and those around them.

However, there are sources of help and support for everyone involved. It's natural to worry about

the future, but it’s important to remember that you're not alone. The NHS, social services and

voluntary organizations can provide advice and support.

One of the first steps to take is to get a health and social care assessment. This assessment is

how a person with dementia, and the person or people looking after them, gets help and support

from their local authority social services department. The assessment is carried out by social

services to find out what help and support you need – such as healthcare, equipment, help in your

home, or residential care. Services can include: 

disability equipment and adaptations to your home

day centres, to give you or the person who cares for you a break

care homes

If the person you care for has ongoing medical care needs, they may qualify for free NHS

continuing care, which will be assessed by NHS staff.

TASK 3 - PROPOSAL

Q7. Write a proposal to the Dementia association making recommendations for improving the

support available in their organisation and report on your reflective account on own personal

contributions to support individuals experiencing significant life events.

The Innovation, Excellence and Strategic Development (IESD) Fund is awarded to voluntary

groups that work towards improving the health and well-being of people across England. The

money they are awarded goes towards testing and developing new ways of working in the health

and social care system that will:

Improve people’s health and well-being

Promote improved ways of working to achieve excellent outcomes in health and social care

Support the health and social care sector to develop sustainable business models for the future

This year the IESD fund will be awarded to voluntary groups that also demonstrate a

commitment to some of the current key priorities in the health and care system. These are:

Personalisation and Choice of Care and Support

Delivering Better Health and Care Outcomes

Improving Public Health

Improving Long-Term Care and Support

Delivering Safe and Compassionate Care

In the last funding round (2013-14), 49 new projects were recommended for funding under the

scheme at a total cost of £5.5 million for the year. These projects are now being implemented

across the country, and cover a range of different areas; such as addressing health inequalities in

men, increasing levels of physical activity in children and supporting people living with

dementia and their carers.

REFERENCES

Finlay, L., Pearson, C. and Ram S. (2005) Understanding health, Milton Keynes, The

Open University

Fleer, M., & Surman, L. (2006). A sociocultural approach to observing and assessing. In

M. Fleer, S. Edwards, M. Hammer, A. Kennedy, A. Ridgway, J. Robbins, & L. Surman

(Eds.), Early Childhood learning communities: Sociocultural research in practice (pp.

139-160). French Forest, NSW: Pearson Education

Wattchow, B., Burke, G. & Cutter-MacKenzie, A. (2008, December). Environment, place

and social ecology in educational practice.

EdithCowanUniversity:http://www.ecu.edu.au/learninganddevelopment/assets/files/

downloads/refguide.pdf