Common health issues related to poverty include infant death, dental health, underage pregnancy, and low birth weight. A 2006 report published by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) summarized research which showed that: compared with those with higher income, children experiencing poverty are: less likely to perform well at school and more likely to play truant, more likely to have lower self-esteem and lower expectations for their future; more likely to be involved in criminal behaviour; more likely to smoke and drink; more likely to have a child at a young age, for young women (K101, Unit 9, pp. 33). When children reach adulthood, they are likely to follow in their parent’s foot-steps and a viscous circle is almost inevitable.
Health and well-being can also be shaped by the social environment of the neighbourhood, including the degree of mutual trust and feelings of connectedness among neighbors. Everyone experiences their community in different ways, and when people feel socially excluded, this can have a detrimental effect on their health and well-being. Social exclusion happens when people suffer from a series of problems such as unemployment, discrimination, poor skills, low incomes, poor housing, high crime, ill health and family breakdown (K101, Unit 9, pp. 35). Parents said they couldn’t afford to take their children out to the countryside, go swimming, go out for a meal or to the cinema (Yeandle, Escott, Grant and Batty, 2008, p. 58). This affects their physical and mental health as families miss out on spending quality time together. People cannot afford to socialize with friends which is detrimental to everyday social relationships and may contribute to anxiety and depression. All of these factors can negatively influence health and well-being, however, a neighborhood can also have a positive effect on people’s health and well-being.
The Thornhill Plus You Programme is a community health project funded by the government. The local population of Thornhill experiences a high degree of social and health disadvantages, compared with other communities in Southampton. There is very little employment in the area, and many people survive on low incomes, including long-term disability and incapacity benefits. The Programme started by consulting local residents about their health concerns and brought local people and community health professionals together, to decide how the funding should be allocated. The focus was to set up an organization to include local people as they have inside knowledge and experience of the health and social care issues faced. The Programme offers residents easy access to resources that makes a healthy neighborhood and supports Labonte’s model of health and well-being, where residents have control over life, and feel connected to the people around them.
It is important that people keep physically fit and a project called Motiv 8 (K101, Unit 9, pp. 15) provides a wide range of activities for people of all ages and physical capabilities, meeting a wide range of health and well-being needs. People in Thornhill are physically well with vitality and energy and people of all ages exercise at the tea dance, playing netball or at T’ai Chi classes. They are also socially healthy with a sense of connectedness and community spirit. All activities support people in having social contact with people who share common interests. People chat during the sessions, which helps them to feel socially accepted, confident and connected to each other. In addition, they have mental well-being and their sense of meaning and purpose in life is supported. The craft group allows everyone to be creative and develop new skills. They admire each other’s work and feel their own efforts are appreciated. In all these activities, people are able to experience themselves as capable, worthwhile members of the group and the community.
The Thornhill Health and Wellbeing Project (THAWP) provides many activities that improve general health and well-being (K101, Unit 9, pp. 41). The project is very sensitive to people with low incomes, and social exclusion is tackled by reducing isolation which in turn increases people’s confidence levels, self-respect and sense of worth. One of these activities is “Cooking Pots” which improves people’s physical, social and emotional well-being. Young mothers get the opportunity to learn new skills and cook healthy food using low cost ingredients from local shops. It is a fun, laid back environment where the mothers support each other and feel less isolated. It also gives them a mental break from their children who are looked after by family support workers. The kids are happy and are getting experience of different places, people and food. Gwyneth Baker developed the idea of Cooking Pots and she explained that “her remit is to work with young mums, and one of my remits is to get people to eat five fruit and veg a day, and to eat more healthily (K101, DVD, Unit 9, Activity 11, The work of Thornhill Health and Well-being Project). Other classes include smoking cessation programs, weight management groups and drop-in sessions for people with mental health groups. If people have health problems then the drop-in sessions can point them towards appropriate services. All of these activities help to reduce feelings of stress, anxiety and isolation.
Social relationships are part of community life in Thornhill but unfortunately, not everyone feels connected in Thornhill and there are some people who are socially isolated and excluded for one reason or another. Certain groups of people are likely to benefit from outreach and advocacy which supports people to speak up for themselves. It involves listening to people in order to find out what they want. People in Thornhill may need an advocate to help them with transport and mobility issues, barriers to accessing community-based health and social care services or social exclusion. Simon Jackson, who may have mental health problems, may feel powerless and could benefit greatly from an advocate as he has been isolated and excluded from the local community centre for shouting at the children (K101, Unit 10, pp.94). Listening to people and finding out about their needs is an important aspect of health and well-being.
In conclusion, we have considered the responsibility that communities have in influencing and supporting people’s health and well-being. There are many issues that can have negative impacts in neighborhoods for the people who live there, most importantly poverty and deprived neighborhoods. This was approached through the case studies of “Women and men talking about poverty” and “Thornhill Plus You”. Thornhill Plus You draws on Labonte’s model of health, and includes physical, social and mental well-being, where all health issues are equally important but continually overlap and inter-connect. Overall, it is clear that community health projects and neighborhood renewal have the potential to improve people’s physical, mental and social well-being and it cannot be disputed that where you live definitely can affect your health and well-being.
Word count: 1633
References:-
The Open University (2010) K101 An introduction to health and social care, Unit 9, “Improving health and well-being in neighborhoods, Milton Keynes, The Open University.
Yeandle S., Escott K., Grand L., and Batty E., (2008) ‘Women and men talking about poverty’ in Johnson, J. and DeSouza, C. (eds) Understanding Health and Social Care: An Introductory Reader, London, Sage/Milton Keynes, The Open University.
The Open University (2011) K101 An Introduction to health and social care, DVD, Unit 9, Activity 11, Milton Keynes, The Open University.
The Open University (2010) K101 An introduction to health and social care, Unit 10, “Inclusion and exclusion in the community, Milton Keynes, The Open University.
Part B
Care skills: Supporting people to use community resources
- I would adopt a friendly approach towards Mina, listen carefully to what she has to say and try to understand the situation from her point of view. I would explain clearly what the leaflet details and what the project is offering. Once I am confident that Mina understands, I would try to identify and communicate what she wants and support her in achieving this.
- a. Mina’s physical and mental health condition.
- Her shyness and lack of confidence speaking English.
- Language barriers.
- Cultural barriers regarding food or men being present.
- Is Mina happy for the children to be looked after in the crèche?
- Transport to the workshop with her young family without the support of her husband.
- I would find out if Mina could have a support worker who speaks Bengali or alternatively an interpreter present. I would also find out if any English language classes were available close by, which had crèche facilities. I would also accompany Mina to enroll in the workshop, assist her in filling out any paperwork and speak up on her behalf if required.
- I will listen carefully to Mina and give her plenty of time to talk. I will try to support her to express her needs and encourage her to get in control of her situation. I would find out if any other Bangladeshi women attend the workshops and try to put them in touch beforehand so that Mina can communicate with someone of her own culture and language. Alternatively, I would find another young mother willing to accompany Mina until she felt comfortable enough to go on her own.
- I would be Mina’s advocate and explore different options to meet Mina’s needs and work with the Workshop organisers to make sure that they are familiar with Mina’s situation and that agreed arrangements are put in place.
Word Count: 313
Self Reflection
I am learning from my tutor’s feedback. My writing skills are improving but there is still room for improvement. I am overwhelmed by the amount of reading but I am focusing on the important points. I have enrolled in Adult Health, Social Care & Well Being which starts on 4th February, 2012.
Word Count: 52 words
