Empowering the Vulnerable: Enhancing Health and Social Care for Individuals with Specific Needs Avatar

People with specific health and social care needs are a priori the most unprotected in every society. They demand understanding from people without disabilities caused by congenital diseases, trauma during the working process and accidents, or age-related weakness. The modern healthcare system is quite mature and efficient. However, it requires modification and improvement. Every progressive state and its citizens must explore specific needs in health, support weaker fellow countrymen and people with disorders, improve their living conditions through establishing and developing state institutions, and promote personal involvement.

Core Concepts of Health, Disability, Illness, and Behaviour with Health and Social Care Service Users

According to the definition of the World Health Organisation, “health is a state of complete physical, mental, social and spiritual well-being and not merely the absence of disease”. Health stages are categorized as mental, social, physical, and spiritual. “Disability” is a condition characterized by a person’s health problems with a persistent disorder of body functions. It could be related to diseases, traumas or any inborn defects leading to an individual’s inability to care for themselves and a need for social protection. An “illness” is a violation of the normal functioning of a body due to the influence of extreme stimuli and harmful factors on it. Malformations or genetic defects can also cause an illness or disease. “Behaviour” concerning health and social care service users is one of the key aspects of care for individuals with special needs. From the ethical side, its principles are based on respect, tolerance, and compassion. From the professional side, they are enshrined in the legal acts of state bodies and organizations that help disabled people. The core approach of this type of behavior is to let such people feel themselves full-fledged members of society.

Changes in Specific Needs’ Perceptions

In previous years, the perceptions of specific needs resulted in the establishment of large hospitals to provide physical support and psychological protection to patients with specific needs due to a prolonged disease of a psycho-emotional or physical nature. Such kind of hospitals was demanded to guarantee mass care. However, they lost their benefits because they were usually overcrowded and lacked individual approaches due to numerous illnesses and personal qualities of the patients. Nowadays, the approach to meeting specific needs have changed a lot. It promoted the appointment of the most qualified and experienced health workers to serve in specialized communities. Disabled people are perceived today as worthy of a special approach. Most of them lead almost normal lives with the help of service system employees. Such people are no longer considered terminally ill. Today, everyone can get a chance for a full life in society.

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