Vulnerable adults in the UK - Essay Example

? Vulnerable adults in the UK College: This paper draws on a considerable literature identifying the position of a particular group of vulnerable adults in the United Kingdom (UK). Clearly, this paper focuses on the position of adults with learning disability in the UK. The review is based on various premises such as the challenges faced by the group of individuals with learning disability and communication difficulties. It explores on how the above mentioned group of individual are homogeneous and therefore, the type of impairment they have does not clearly define the people and their experience (Brown 2006 p.16). Other types of premises explored in this paper are the theories and the ethical considerations behind the recent policy and the legislative initiatives on the main causes of and the response to abuse and oppression to the people with learning disability in the United Kingdom. In addition, this paper evaluates the various benefits that the adults with learning disability in the U.K have obtained as a result of the implementation of the recent policy and legislative initiatives. For instance, the government in the U.K has introduced a policy where the adults with learning disabilities are allowed to live their lives just like any other individual in the community and they are supposed to be treated with equal respect and dignity. The government is committed to developing the lifestyles of adults with learning disabilities and the moral and financial support provided by their relatives. Therefore, this means inclusion for the adults who are excluded and empowering those who are provided with services in order to make decisions that shape their lives. Notably, there are various vulnerable groups in the United Kingdom. Examples of the above mentioned groups include individuals with disabilities, lone parents, younger individuals and older people in the society. These groups face a lot of challenges in terms of limitation of employment opportunities as a result of the structure of the global market. In the United Kingdom labour government, the department for Pensions and Work attempted to reduce the challenges faced by the vulnerable groups. For instance, the government introduced the New Deal Programmes for the adult with learning disabilities in the country. Consequently, the above mentioned programmes for the vulnerable groups introduced various economic mechanisms such as back-to-work schemes and job creation schemes. In addition, the government in the United Kingdom offered financial support to all potential workers of the vulnerable groups to enhance their living styles. Other types of vulnerable groups in the United Kingdom include men who have their sex with men, heterosexuals, black Africans, injecting-drug users, prisoners, children who are born to HIV-Positive pregnant women and sex workers. Nevertheless, this paper demonstrates the clear position of adults with learning disability in the United Kingdom (Brown 2006 p.24). Adults with learning disabilities are very unique individuals in the community and they have their own likes and dislikes, opinions and history. Nevertheless, adults with learning disabilities in the United Kingdom have equal rights as everyone else. It is evident that about 1.5 million adults’ people in the United Kingdom have learning disabilities, which is defined as a lifelong condition and it is neither a disease or an illness. Adults with learning disability in the United Kingdom have various characteristics such as significant impairment of challenge and impairment of adaptive functioning. Notably, for the people with learning disability, their age of onset happen before their adulthood. Clearly, intelligence is measured by use of a cognitive assessment, which gives individuals an intelligence quotient (IQ) (Mantell & Scragg 2008, p.40). A particular test on IQ is aimed at investigating person’s abilities, which include knowledge, expression, comprehension, memory, abstract thinking and problem thinking skills. The above mentioned test is always administered by a qualified psychologist commonly a clinical psychologist. It is evident that the average IQ score in the United Kingdom population is 100 with a range of 15 points on either side. Therefore, any individual with an IQ score that ranges between 85 and 115 is termed to be of average intelligence. Adults with learning disabilities in the United Kingdom have a significant impairment in intellectual functioning and these ranges between IQ of 55 and 69 while other adults have severe impairment in intellectual functioning and their IQ score is below 55. Adults with learning disabilities in the United Kingdom are known to have severe impairment in their intellectual functioning. In the United Kingdom in the past adults with learning disabilities were offered mental ages. Nevertheless, currently their health situation is accepted and it is known as a degrading position, which takes no account of individuals’ experiences and life’s. In the United Kingdom, there are several community services that are offered to the adults with learning disability (Mantell & Scragg 2008, p.51). The above mentioned services include centred assessment and care management services. As a result of the above mentioned care assessment services, adults with learning disability are able to have an access to the society facilities as other people. In addition, various partnerships have been established in the United Kingdom and their main aim is to support adults with learning disabilities. For instance, the partnerships provide residential and support living and daily opportunities for the adults with learning disability as well as training, employment chances, work experience and health care services. According to various researches carried out in the United Kingdom, the causes of learning disabilities in adults happen before, during and soon after birth. Nevertheless, the learning disabilities become severe during the developmental stages, which range from the early childhood up to when the individual reaches 18 years. In addition, some individuals have brain damage during their adult life as a result of accidents or other effects of disease and these results to significant impairment of social functioning and intelligence. Nevertheless, the above mentioned types of individuals are not regarded as adults with learning disabilities; this is because they had the disabilities after their brains had already developed and they can use brain injury services (Mandelstam 2009, p.33). Adults with learning disabilities in the United Kingdom stay in a wide range of backgrounds, however, majority stay in their family homes. Adults with mild learning disabilities are allowed to live on themselves with minimal hours of support every day. Nevertheless, adults with disabilities who require a lot of support and care live in homes that are managed by voluntary or organizations. The afore-mentioned homes are also managed by particular health and social services in the United Kingdom. Notably, adults with learning disabilities who have severely offending and challenging behaviour stay with health specialists who provide them with special assessment and treatment. According to the legislative system of the United Kingdom, adults with learning disabilities who might have committed criminal offences are offered custodian sentence whereby they live in the prison) (Mandelstam 2009, p.33. According to the context of health care in the United Kingdom, adults with learning disabilities are recognized and acknowledged. The nurses in the various health care centres are required to make certain adjustments to their nursing practice towards the adults with learning disabilities. Moreover, the nurses are supposed to offer extra support to all adults with learning disabilities in the community. Notably, the health of adults with learning disabilities in the United Kingdom has improved over the last 20 years. However, they have high opportunities of health services and needs as compared to the learning-disabled peers. When adults with learning disabilities access educational institutions, the staff experiences various challenges in meeting their basic and educational needs. Despite the fact that adults with learning disabilities stay longer, they have a higher mortality rate than adults without learning disabilities. Adults with learning disabilities in the United Kingdom have a short life expectancy as compared to adults without learning disabilities (Pritchard 2008, p.37). It is evidenced that the main cause of death for adults with learning disabilities is respiratory disease followed by other diseases such as cardiovascular disease. Adults with learning disabilities in the United Kingdom are offered the same health services as other individuals in the society. Nevertheless, the risk of obtaining other types of conditions varies. For instance, adults with learning disability do not suffer lung cancer while adults without learning disabilities have more chances of suffering from lung cancer. There are several reasons why adults with learning disabilities in the United Kingdom are offered with poor health services and they do not have adequate access to the health care facilities. The philosophy of providing services to adults with learning disabilities in the United Kingdom has changed from defined medical model to a social model of care. Therefore, the training and staff responsibilities are basically focused on independence and rights, social inclusion and choice (Pritchard 2009, p.42). In addition, the social care institutions with adults who have learning disabilities in the UK have high turnover rates of employees thus leading to the whole staff having inadequate knowledge of the people. In regard to the health care services offered to adults with learning disabilities in the United Kingdom, there is a lot of confusion about the policy and the law in offering treatment to adults with learning disabilities. Notably, the health screening services are not offered to adults with learning disabilities who are not regarded to be at high risks of certain health problems. For instance, adults with learning disabilities in the United Kingdom are not known to be sexually active therefore, they are not provided with cervical screening services. Moreover, adults with learning disabilities in the United Kingdom face challenges while attending health care services. Examples of the above mentioned challenges include high expense of travelling to the health care centre, the need for accompaniment and poor physical access. Adults with learning disabilities in the United Kingdom face a certain condition known as diagnostic overshadowing whereby all symptoms and signs such as incontinence are associated to adults with learning disabilities rather than other forms of causes such as ill health. Surgery, which involves complex rehabilitation are not offered to the adults with learning disabilities in the United Kingdom. Adults with learning disabilities are at high risks of particular conditions, for example, adults with Down’s syndrome are at high risks of suffering from Alzheimer’s dementia. Therefore, the health care centres in the United Kingdom must be aware of the above mentioned health conditions (Oliver 2009, p.14). The life for adults with learning disabilities and their carers in the United Kingdom involves various ethical issues. There are various ethical predicaments that arise in situations where the position of an individual to make the right decision is unclear and doubtful and unclear. Moreover, conflicts may arise as a result of conflict between the effects of alternative causes of action. In the United Kingdom, ethical issues are very demanding to adults with learning disabilities. Some of the ethical challenges are real dilemmas this is because a conflict exists between various alternative courses of action. For instance, if we consider an adult with a learning disability, who does not want to take, prescribed medication from nurses. One of the courses of action in the above mentioned situation might be to accept the situation as an informed choice or ignore the prescribed medication since it’s in the individual’s best interests. The above mentioned situation may be a real dilemma for health care professional who wants to respects the people’s choice and autonomy (Oliver 2009, p.18). In addition, the challenges may occur since there is uncertainty about the possible courses of action towards the adults with learning disabilities. For instance, an adult with learning disability may be very distresses and start demanding for their home. In this situation, the carers may not have the effective way to assist the adult with learning disabilities. These ethical challenges indicate that an adult with learning disability is going through a moral distress. Ethical challenges among the adults with learning disabilities by their own nature may very difficult to explain, interpret and analyze (Goodley 2000, p.24). The term used to describe adults with learning disabilities in the United Kingdom means various things to different groups. Adults with learning disability have been observed differently through the UK history. Notably, the principles of choice, independence and inclusion are described as some of the duties that community and services hold towards adults with learning disabilities. According to the duty theory the above mentioned values should be applied as a matter of significant principles regardless of any consideration of the impacts. For instance, in learning disability services in the United Kingdom, it is the staff duty to respect the choices made by the adults with learning disabilities. Applied ethics such as the use of normative principles explains particular issues among the adults with learning disabilities. Arguing from a utilitarian point, separating adults with learning disabilities in the United Kingdom is justifies ethically since the benefits to all other individuals in the society outweighed the disadvantages to some of individuals in the entire society (Davis 2010, p.15). Notably, a lot of people do not consider society care as an issue. For instance, an institutional care in the United Kingdom has been largely of an historical topic. Currently, the primary values towards adults with learning disabilities in the United Kingdom include independence, choice, rights and inclusion. The ethical work with adults with learning disabilities in the United Kingdom is regarded as that which increases their autonomy. In the UK, autonomy is given much preference over the other ethical principles and it is significant to the legislative framework. There is a particular legal framework in the United Kingdom that demonstrates the process of making decisions with adults who have learning disabilities. Having a clear understanding of the medical and social model of adults with learning disabilities in the United Kingdom is very important for all people who are involved with the disability. Understanding the medical and social model help people to develop clear and better interact with individuals with learning disabilities. The community’s perception of adults with learning disability has come from the issue of complete segregation of the above mentioned group since the problem is regarded as the individual’s malfunction, to the current model of inclusion where adults with learning disabilities have equal access to services in the society as everyone (Oliver & Sapey 2006, p.31). The principle of segregation points outs the model of inclusion where all individuals have equal access o the services and the community is regarded as a causing barrier, which disable individuals. The principle of inclusion is very significant since it helps in building a positive understanding of adults with learning disability and therefore, everyone is seen as equal. There are two models that are used to explain the inclusion of adults with learning disabilities In the United Kingdom and this include the medical and the social model. According to the medical model of disability, adults with learning disabilities are regarded as a problem and therefore, they are not allowed to join the entire society because of their impairment. The medical model of adults with learning disabilities in the United Kingdom does not put into consideration the impacts of the features in the society, which could be manipulated. In addition, the medical model explains that adults with learning disability should be offered treatment by medical profession. According to Mason, adults with learning disabilities in the UK evaluate the negative information that all their problems are as a result of not having normal bodies (Mason 2005, p.51).Therefore, the medical model impacts the way adults with learning disabilities feel and think about themselves and this leads to feelings of low self-esteem. The medical model make the adults with learning disabilities admit that their impairments prevents them from being involved in the activities of the society and this causes further exclusion and segregation. The above mentioned model puts more emphasis on individual tragedy and this has developed negative language towards the adults with learning disabilities in the United Kingdom. According to the medical model, the lives of adult with learning disabilities are shifted to the medical profession. This is because the medical profession is able to the type of education needed, the type of schools to attend and the place they can work. Notably, adults with learning disabilities are mainly approached through the medical model and they are always segregated away into educational institutions, sheltered workshops, group homes and training centres. This hinders their opportunities to find job placements and access to their choices of life. Therefore, the medical model of adults with learning disabilities develops and exclusive and unequal society. On the other hand, the social model of adults with learning disability explains the society as disabling since it does not adapt to the needs of all individuals. Johnstone suggests that it is the society that causes the exclusion and the oppression of the adults with learning disabilities in the United Kingdom (Johnstone 2001, p.30). Therefore, the social model of disability places much emphasis on the significance of inclusion. According to the social model, disability is a shared and collective responsibility of the whole society and adults with learning disabilities should be regarded as part of the diverse and varied society. References Johnstone, D 2001, Introduction to Disability Studies. London: David Fulton. Mantell, A & Scragg, T 2008, Safeguarding Adults in Social Work, Exeter: Learning Matters Ltd. Brown, K 2006, Vulnerable Adults and Community Care, Exeter: Learning Matters Ltd. Mandelstam, M 2009, The Law and Vulnerable Adults, London: Jessica Kingsley. Pritchard, J 2008, Good Practice in Safeguarding Adults: Working Effectively in Adult Protection, London: Jessica Kingsley. Oliver, M 2009, ‘Understanding Disability. From theory to practice’, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Goodley, D 2000, Self-Advocacy in the Lives of People with Learning Difficulties, Bucks: Open University Press. Davis, L 2010, The Disability Studies Reader. Routledge. Mason, M 2000, Incurably Human. London: The Working Press. Oliver, M & Sapey, B 2006, Social Work With Disabled People, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Read More