Engaging with Vulnerable People
Engaging With Vulnerable People
This essay will explore the concept of vulnerability, the type of people who can be vulnerable and its potential effects. It will then relate this specifically to the case of Miss Jaya an elderly Hindu lady who has no relatives and lives alone, and why she is perceived to be vulnerable. The essay will then go on to evaluate how a nurse can demonstrate professional values and empower the patient to help reduce their vulnerability, taking into account the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) Code of Professional Conduct. The case of Mrs Jaya indicates some discriminatory practice by those responsible for caring for her, this will be discussed and how the relevant anti-discriminatory practice could be promoted. In conclusion the essay will reflect upon the key learning points of this assignment.
There are a number of definitions and theories in relation to vulnerable people. The World Health Organisation (WHO) suggest that the concept of vulnerability “ - has been widely used to denote a condition in which the physical and mental well-being required for a normal productive is impaired and at constant risk ” (WHO, 1992:11). The reasons that can make people vulnerable are varied and often include age, ethnicity, illness mental health issues, religion and learning and physical disabilities. “A vulnerable person is a person who may be in need of community care services by reason of mental or other disability, age or illness, and who is unable to take care of him or herself or unable to protect him or herself against significant harm or exploitation” (DOH, 2000, p8-9).
Miss Jaya is 74 years old and a patient in a hospital which suggests that she could be vulnerable as both an elderly person and that she is suffering from a form of illness or disability “Physical changes in old age reduce the ability to conduct activities of daily living and maintain independence” (Lyon, Kinney & Colouhoun, 2002, p.183). The work of Kang
This essay will explore the concept of vulnerability, the type of people who can be vulnerable and its potential effects. It will then relate this specifically to the case of Miss Jaya an elderly Hindu lady who has no relatives and lives alone, and why she is perceived to be vulnerable. The essay will then go on to evaluate how a nurse can demonstrate professional values and empower the patient to help reduce their vulnerability, taking into account the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) Code of Professional Conduct. The case of Mrs Jaya indicates some discriminatory practice by those responsible for caring for her, this will be discussed and how the relevant anti-discriminatory practice could be promoted. In conclusion the essay will reflect upon the key learning points of this assignment.
There are a number of definitions and theories in relation to vulnerable people. The World Health Organisation (WHO) suggest that the concept of vulnerability “ - has been widely used to denote a condition in which the physical and mental well-being required for a normal productive is impaired and at constant risk ” (WHO, 1992:11). The reasons that can make people vulnerable are varied and often include age, ethnicity, illness mental health issues, religion and learning and physical disabilities. “A vulnerable person is a person who may be in need of community care services by reason of mental or other disability, age or illness, and who is unable to take care of him or herself or unable to protect him or herself against significant harm or exploitation” (DOH, 2000, p8-9).
Miss Jaya is 74 years old and a patient in a hospital which suggests that she could be vulnerable as both an elderly person and that she is suffering from a form of illness or disability “Physical changes in old age reduce the ability to conduct activities of daily living and maintain independence” (Lyon, Kinney & Colouhoun, 2002, p.183). The work of Kang