Unit 2 Health And Social Care Case Study

1. We can define reminiscing as the process of reflecting upon and reliving past events good and bad. This bodes the question of whether or not reminiscing is helpful for elderly people. There was a time when carers and nurses were encouraged to stop elderly people from talking about their past, it was thought that this would damage their mental health and cause them to regress. On the contrary it actually aided care and strengthened care relationships.
It has been discovered that reminiscing can help the old retain their sense of identity. It is very easy for elderly people to become consumed by their age or illness, by listening to their stories nurses allow their patients to relive life experiences and reflect on them. Remembering good
times and old friends can be very therapeutic and it encourages the old to come to terms with their current situation.
On the other hand, some patients may have repressed painful memories and emotions in the past. Some images may be triggering for them, for example a man who had fought in the war may harbour many bad memories of friends he has lost and traumatic images. Reliving these moments could cause long term damage to his mental health especially in its already weakened state.

2.
Health is defined in Labonte’s model as a good state of Social, Mental and Physical health. Social health would include having good relationships and being connected within the community, mental health would be having meaning and purpose within your life and finally physical would be having the ability and energy to get up and get out. As we can see here Labonte’s model clearly shows that all aspects of health are connected, when one aspect falls so may others, for example if a person was feeling depressed that would then affect their social relationships.
Lack of services can affect the health of the entire community, Thornill was a low income community that saw an increase in ill health. In low income areas we see a rise in smoking and teenage pregnancy, this can affect the physical and mental health of those within the neighbourhood. Between 2001 and 2011 underwent many changes that aimed to improve the overall well being of the residents. The government decided to fund a health centre situated within the neighbourhood so residents could have access to health service that were not there before for example; dentists, GP’s, midwives etc. The midwives started having group sessions, this not only helped educate first-time mothers but also helped people to socialise with their peers . Residents were encouraged to support each other and spread their own knowledge. There is also a community run Tai-Chi class which is supported by the medical as GP’s refer patients to the class.
This class has an effect on all facets of health within the community, many residents see an improvement in their health and then tell their friends and neighbours about it. Word of mouth is very important in a community like Thornhill as many of the residents are isolated from the world outside of the estate so they are more likely to trust their neighbours.
Outside of just the physical benefits of having access to doctors and nurses, the most important part of a project like Thornhill is the social aspect.
Socialisation within the community is an integral part of health and well being, having well connected community relationships encouraged the residents to start running more community based activities. One of the groups ‘Crafty Crafters’ has allowed members to meet people who share similar interests some of whom are disabled or ill others who usually just look after the family at home. This type of activity has helped its members improve their social and mental health by providing a place in which they feel comfortable to enjoy each others
company.

3. Some members of the community may feel socially excluded, social exclusion is a term used to describe when someone does not have the ability to access community resources. There are several groups that this term may apply to, a government report identified the following groups as socially excluded; the long-term ill, asylum seekers, people with low literacy levels and those with mental health issues. Members of the community may not even notice these people as often they are seen as purposely not engaging with their neighbours, this can lead to poor mental health as exclusion is a common trigger for depression.
These people have a difficulty accessing community based services because they feel uncomfortable engaging with those around them, in the case of asylum seekers and refugees it is often a language barrier that stops them from utilising services. Where asylum seekers are concerned they often fear judgment and also are unsure of whether services can help them as their culture is so far removed from the one they currently live in. Although all the community services are universal they may not be suitable for all, in order to combat social exclusion those that are excluded need to feel as though they are not only welcome to use services but also considered for example by providing documents in other languages a centre would be including every member of the community. Also doctors and nurses can take into consideration certain traditions of other cultures such as only referring women to female doctors.