This Is Social And Health Care For Dependent People
Throughout our development and growth, the vast majority of the population acquires a set of knowledge and capabilities thanks to which we will forge our identity, our way of seeing the world and the way we interact with it. We are learning how to carry out tasks that allow us an autonomous and independent subsistence.
However, there are people who for some reason have lost or have not sufficiently developed the skills necessary to carry out day-to-day activities completely autonomously. These people may need some type of supervision, help or support in different day-to-day tasks, help that can be provided in many cases by different types of social and health institutions.
This requires professionals capable of responding to the needs of this sector of the population, which makes training necessary. Health care to dependents in social institutions It is about this topic that we will talk about throughout this article.
What is social and health care for dependent people?
To understand the type of care that should be offered from social institutions to dependent people, first It is necessary to take into account what the concept of dependent person refers to
We consider a person to be dependent when they are in a situation or state of generally permanent characteristics in which for some reason said person has lost or seen their faculties or capacities to lead a completely autonomous life reduced or when it has not been able to fully develop these capabilities to levels that allow independent action and adaptability to environmental and social demands.
Dependency implies the need for attention, support or supervision from other people (or resources) other than the subject in order to be able to carry out day-to-day activities or to maintain an action that is as autonomous as possible.
Although in general when we talk about dependency we usually think of people with intellectual disabilities or some type of neurodegenerative disease, the truth is that the concept of dependent person also includes those subjects who have some degree of physical or sensory disability or whose vital activity is highly interfered with by the presence of some type of psychiatric problem.
In addition, elderly people or people with delicate health are also included that requires continuous assistance.
In some cases the person is in a situation of legal incapacity and may be tutored by a family member or foundation, although It is not necessary to be legally incapacitated to have some degree of dependency
Thus, social health support or care is not something that only involves action at a cognitive level but rather comprehensive care, which can include different types of actions depending on the needs, difficulties and/or potential of the subject. It is important to assess that the intention of this type of services It is not only about alleviating possible deficits but is also responsible for maximizing and optimizing the individual’s strengths as well as their quality of life.
It should also be taken into account that when we talk about social and health care in social institutions we are referring to care that is offered in an organization or structure dedicated to the service and pursuit of the well-being of users, and whose action can be carried out in multiple environments.
Types of social institution for people with some type of dependency
Regarding the type of resource or social or socio-health institution offered to people in a situation of dependency, we can find different categories with different objectives and types of treatments or supports offered In this sense, some of the most common are the following.
1. Service for preventing dependency situations
These are devices whose main purpose is to try to prevent or limit the possibility or worsening of dependency situations in at-risk populations, the most obvious example being people with a congenital disability or people of advanced age. Thus, in this type of devices we work with a population that either you do not yet have a dependency situation or you want it to no longer limit of what the person’s autonomy is already doing.
2. Hospitals and Day Centers
Probably the best-known types of social-health service or institution, day centers and day hospitals have as their main objective the provide complete and comprehensive care to users in order to increase or maintain their level of autonomy, socio-community participation, capacity for self-management and in general their quality of life.
Their biopsychosocial work usually includes the application of measures for rehabilitation, restoration or compensation of functions, guidance and advice for the user, facilitation and training of social and family bonding without requiring income, promoting healthy habits, monitoring the situation and providing support to both the end user and their environment.
This last type of center, also highly known, is dedicated to offering comprehensive socio-health care but to people who are admitted or located in the same service in which they live (whether permanently or temporarily).
In these centers, users perform different types of activities, workshops or therapies (depending on the case) that allow them to improve and/or preserve their autonomy and/or capabilities, favor their connection and socialization. An example of this type of services can be found in the Llar Residencia, in Catalonia (Hogar Residencia, in Spanish).
4. Other types of service
Although the above three are some of the most common, it is also worth mentioning the existence of many other types of assistance services for dependent people. Among them we can find the telecare service or home help
Likewise, at a more comprehensive health level, we can find various services within the public health portfolio, such as high-dependency psychiatric units or admission to acute or subacute units, neuropsychiatry or psychogeriatrics.
Degree of dependency and activities from which they are analyzed
It must be taken into account that in order to offer quality social and health care to dependent people, it is first necessary to know what their needs are and to what degree they present some type of dependency.
In this sense, it will be necessary for a professional with appropriate training to be able to assess the subject , for which one or more questionnaires and observation of the subject as well as the characteristics and reports of their vital situation and environment will be used. This will obtain a score on the Dependency Assessment Scales that will serve to determine the type or degree of dependency of the person in question.
The type of activities analyzed are generally the basic activities of daily living: nutrition, hygiene, sleep, sphincter control, mobility and movement, domestic tasks, ability to maintain health status, ability to make decisions . Also It is taken into account if, for example, external help or guidance is required to carry out these actions.
Based on the scale that we have seen, we can obtain three types of dependency: Grade I or moderate in which the subject needs some specific help to be autonomous, Grade II or severe in which, although a caregiver is not needed permanent help is required several times a day to carry out certain basic activities and Grade III or great dependency in which the subject needs a caregiver, supervision or continued help in their daily life.
Another factor to take into account is that caring for a dependent person requires the collaboration of different professionals from various branches, both health and social
The specific type of professionals that each person will need may vary depending on the case, but broadly speaking we can find doctors (from any branch, be it neurology, speech therapy, cardiology, endocrinology, immunology…), nurses, psychologists, assistants, physiotherapists, speech therapists. , occupational therapists, social workers, educators, teachers and pedagogues (and not only in the case of children) and in some cases even lawyers.
All of them must coordinate their actions to offer comprehensive care that takes into account the needs, potential and difficulties of the dependent person in order to improve their quality of life to the extent possible.
Socio-health intervention
Although the different professionals involved will work focusing on their specialty in order to help the subject, broadly speaking we can determine the general nature of the main work of socio-health care for dependent people in social institutions.
The actions of professionals are aimed at the development and implementation of programs aimed at providing assistance that allows the subject to carry out basic activities with which they have difficulties, the rehabilitation or compensation of systems, capacities and functions, the incorporation of the subject into social participation and bonding with other people and education and psychoeducation directed both at the subject and their environment in order to face possible difficulties and improve the standard of living and autonomy of the subject.
This action includes the approach of therapies and activities aimed at cognitive stimulation, the cognitive restructuring of distorted beliefs, the use of occupational therapy to improve functionality in basic activities, health promotion and prevention of damage. , adherence to treatments if any, management of stress or emotions or improvement of social participation through various activities and training, among many others.
All of this always maintaining an ethical line in which dignity, confidentiality and respect prevail to the capabilities and independence of the subject, while creating a warm and comfortable environment and seeking the maximum benefit for the subject and avoiding, as far as possible, any harm caused by the care action itself.
