1579880219710
Safeguarding in Health and Social Care
Submitted by
Parvin Moradi
ID No: 15273
Introduction
Safeguarding means protecting people’s health, wellbeing and human rights, enabling them to live free from harm, abuse and neglect. It’s fundamental to high quality health and social care.
Safeguarding adults in health and social care context is so devolved and most discussed matter. This assignment will focus in explaining through two tasks. First task will discuss why particular individual such as Bridget in the case scenario and other groups may be vulnerable to abuse.
Secondary, risk factors which may lead to incidence of abuse and harm to Bridget and others.
1.1 WHY PARTICULAR INDIVIDUALS AND GROUPS MAY BE VULNERABLE TO ABUSE.
Abuse can be simply defined as the misuse of a person’s physical or mental appearance as well as skills and abilities to fulfil different needs.
There is a higher than average prevalence of older people abused among people with dementia (Cooper et al, 2008). People with dementia can be particularly vulnerable to abuse and dementia can make it harder to detect when abuse is taking place:
According to Alzheimer’s Society (2011), People with dementia are victims to abuse because they find it hard to get people to believe them or the ability to remember what has happened to them. Victims can often find it difficult to talk about their experience of abuse this can be even more than or just wanting someone to stay with them all the time unaware that the person is abusing them like the caes of Bridget and Mrs Y.
Psychological abuse: This can happen where someone is isolated, verbally abused and threatened as in the case of Bridget who was slowly being isolated from her friends and Mr Y being obstructive towards Bridget’s carers.
Mate crime is where someone befriends an adult at risk with intention of exploiting or abusing them. Bridget believed that Mr Y was a friend but he was financially and psychologically abusing her trust and finances.
People with physical, mental or who lack the mental capacity may be unable to make their own decision, or understand that they are been neglected . People who are or may be in need of community care services because of mental or other disability, age or illness, and who are unable to care for themselves or unable to protect themselves from significant harm or exploitation are vulnerable to be abused.
Example
In a residential care home were a service user is left for long period of hours unattended, having personal care first thing in the morning service user is incontinent needs changing a at least three times a day was left in his wheelchair until night staff arrived who then put him straight to bed without personal care.
You may be made to feel different because of the colour of your skin, have different religion , gender , age , speak different language or disability.
Physical disability causes people to be vulnerable because they cannot make fast or quick reactions in an abuse situation. As an example, the case study has mentioned that Bridget face memory loss disorder so she need other help in day to day work. People like her, have the highest risk of facing abuse in her life because she is weak due to her old age condition and memory loss .Being away from family also expose adults into abuse. When adults have no immediate family members who cares for their wellbeing , they are exposed into physical abuse such as sexual abuse and emotional abuse. They can get blamed and get rejected if they haven’t got the proper care needed .
Lack of knowledge and awareness also matters when considering the vulnerability of adults who need the support in health and social care. In the case study, it mentions that Bridget have been financially abused by Mr Y, by taking control over all her finances without having Power of Attorney and coercing her to sell the plot of land behind her house to him. Considering her vulnerability, she didn’t have the knowledge and awareness about the situation because she had trusted Mr Y. Lack of awareness and lack of knowledge in identifying the risk will cause many abuses in the health care context. Adults need to have some sense as well as knowledge about ensuring their own protection
1.2 RISK FACTORS WHICH MAY LEAD TO INCIDENCE OF ABUSE
Risk in the health care context is a most considered matter when it comes to adult care and child care. Risk is a chance or the possibility to get exposed into injuries and accidents as well as hazards. Hazards are the things which can cause injuries such as water, electricity or fire. Risks can be seen in financial, social, physical as well as psychological ways (Lishman, 2007).
Psychological abuse also called as mental abuse is also a risk factor which emerges the risk of being psychologically unstable and harming themselves and others. Kolko (2002) states that, those types of situation can be raised if the adult feel lonely or no care or if the child or adult feels everyone is trying to reject them. In the case study it also shows that Bridget is suffering from confusion, memory loss and alcohol problems . There is high risk for her to getting the type of psychological disorder. These types of mental situations can also raise by mental disorders such as anxiety . When the person falls into anxiety, they always try to harm themselves and others, so these types of mental conditions emerge a risk when considering the adult care in health and social care context (Beck, 2005).
Social risk can be seen as having bad company of people who have addictive behaviours as well as aggressive and negative behaviours. The case study report has mentioned that the care provider of Bridget has taken control over her finances. The risk of this, is there was a possibility of abuse to Bridget. If the adults are in the company of people who have non-ethical as well as negative behaviours like alcohol and drug addiction (Buechler, 2000). As in the case study, the care worker once observed Mr. Y pouring alcohol for Bridget.
Physical risks can be seen as exposing into hazards and the risk of accidents. Diamond (2009) have mentioned that, most of these risks have been taken place in the adult care homes due to the lack of care and lack of attention on adults and children those who need care. As an example, adults who have mobility issues such as Bridget need to be looked after carefully or she will have a fall or get harmed when they try to move in a state of alcohol intoxicating. Researchers have stated that about 1,800 adults per year die due to falls in their homes and about 20% nursing home falls cause serious injuries, while 6% of them cause fractures. So the risk factors which cause harm themselves can be seen as the mobility issues / disabling conditions of the adults as well as the lack of attention from the care providers (Department of Health, 2015).
1.3 THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL AND CULTURAL FACTORS ON DIFFERENT TYPES OF ABUSE
Social factors effect on people, emerging them the risk of physical as well as mental abuse. This task will discuss how the social and cultural factors influence the adult care in the UK.
Homeless and having no one to care for adults as well as children, cause them psychological disorders and further, they will get exposed into physical abuse such as sexual abuse too. These social factors are the most considered factors even in international because the WHO has announced that 13% of adult women have been raped and 23% of women have reported at least with one sexual victimisation experienced (Chen et al, 2004).
Cultural believes, as well as abuse of adults who need care, impacts on the beliefs of them and their behaviour. Some adults strictly believe on their religious believe beyond their disability condition or their situation of illness. As an example, some religions do not prefer women interacting with men, but it is a need care because sometimes, care homes fail to provide female doctors for female adults. So some adults reject admitting in care and clinical services so there emerge health risks of being undiagnosed (Buechler, 2000).
Another fact is that the personality and personal beliefs of the individual. Cameron and Leventhal (2003) point out that, personal beliefs strictly impacts on the medication progress as well as the care plan for a particular adult. A care plan is a progress of caring for a particular adult, made by a responsible person in the care home or the care giving occasion. In the personal beliefs, some adults reject getting cared by people who they do not usually interact. Some of others, like Bridget are unlikely to get care they require because she reject the idea of moving into a care home. Because Bridget prefers to live in her own home with Mr. Y without care support she requires, there is a high risk for her to getting accidents. So the care of that person is less and they easily get exposed into harm and hazards. Many psychologists have mentioned that these types of personality issues can occur with the growth of age, as they prefer more respect from others.
