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
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.
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