Problems in Social Care PDF
Preview Problems in Social Care
Problems in Social Care Problems in Practice Series PROBLEMS IN ARTHRITIS AND RHEUMATISM - D. N. Golding PROBLEMS IN CARDIOLOGY - C. F. P. Wharton PROBLEMS IN GASTROENTEROLOGY - M. Lancaster-Smith and K. Williams PROBLEMS IN GERIATRIC MEDICINE - A. Martin PROBLEMS IN GYNAECOLOGY - E. P. W. Tatford PROBLEMS IN OPHTHALMOLOGY - M. G. Glasspool PROBLEMS IN OTOLARYNGOLOGY - P. Ratnesar PROBLEMS IN PAEDIATRICS - J. Hood PROBLEMS IN PERIPHERAL VASCULAR DISEASE - P. E. A. Savage PROBLEMS IN RESPIRATORY MEDICINE - P. Forgacs PROBLEMS IN SOCIAL CARE - R. Corney SERIES INDEX VOLUME Problems in Practice Series Series Editors: J.Fry K.G.D.Williams M.Lancaster-Smith Problems • In Social Care Roslyn H. Corney Phq Dip. App. Soc. Stuaies Lecturer General Practice Research Unit Institute of Psychiatry London -It 1983 .MTP PRESS LI.MITED a member of the KLUWER ACADEMIC PUBLISHERS GROUP BOSTON / THE HAGUE / DORDRECHT / LANCASTER Published by MTP Press Limited Falcon House Lancaster, England Copyright © 1983 R.H. Corney Softcover reprint if the hardcover 1st edition 1983 First published 1983 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission from the publishers. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Corney, Roslyn H. Problems in social care-(Problems in practice series) 1. Social problems 1. Title II. Series 361.1 HN18 ISBN-13: 978-94-009-6588-1 e-ISBN-13: 978-94-009-6586-7 DOl: 10.1 007/978-94-009-6586-7 Contents Preface 8 Series Foreword f.P.Horder CEE 9 1 Social problems - the key role of the doctor 11 2 The social services and sources of help for social problems 15 Social services departments - housing departments, local education authority - health visitors - child guid- ance - probation and after care service - Department of Health and Social Security, Department of Employ- ment - information, advice and law centres - voluntary organizations 3 Children and young people 21 Behaviour problems - educational problems - child abuse - the need for day care - other child care problems - reception into care - problems of adolescence summary of services and help available 4 Problems of adult and family life 39 Marital difficulties and divorce - sexual problems one-parent families - multi-problem families-bereave- ment and widowhood - adoption - fostering - other problems - summary of services and help available 5 Problems in social care 5 The elderly 57 General services provided - specific problems - retire- ment - loneliness and social isolation - problems in relationships with others - problems managing at home - domiciliary care - residential care - financial prob- lems - housing problems - some health-related issues - psychological and social needs of the dying - sum- mary of services and help available 6 The physically disabled 77 Problems adjusting to disability - problems of having a handicapped child - problems of rehabilitation and managing at home - housing problems - educational problems - employment - problems of mobility, trans- port and social activities - financial problems - services for the blind and partially sighted - services for the deaf and hard of hearing - summary of the services and help available 7 Mental illness and handicap 97 Types of illness seen in general practice - suicide - the Mental Health Act - treatment - the strain on the family - services for the mentally ill-housing difficulties and residential care - the mentally handicapped -services for the mentally handicapped - financial problems alcohol problems - social problems associated with excessive drinking - drug addiction - summary of the services and help available 8 Housing problems 123 General housing difficulties - type of accommodation and financial assistance available - homelessness - problems of unsuitable or substandard housing - ten- ancy problems - summary of services and help avail- able 9 Financial, employment and legal problems 135 Financial problems - details of specific benefits - help with financial problems - employment problems - ser- vices available - youth employment - legal problems - summary of services and help available Appendix 1 General co-ordinating bodies and sources 153 of information 6 Contents Appendix 2 Voluntary organizations: children and 154 young people Appendix 3 Voluntary organizations: adult and family 156 life Appendix 4 Voluntary organizations: the elderly 159 Appendix 5 Voluntary organizations: the physically 161 disabled Appendix 6 Voluntary organizations: the mentally 167 disordered Appendix 7 Voluntary organizations: housing 170 problems Appendix 8 Voluntary organizations: financial, 171 employment and legal problems Index 173 7 Preface This book has been written primarily for general practitioners; it describes the social problems which are presented by patients to their doctors for help and advice. The aim of the book is to help the doctor manage these problems, both through his own interventions and by involving or referring the patient on to other agencies. While the more common problems have been considered in detail, those rarely encountered have been omitted. The book also concentrates on help available from non-medical sources, as these will be less familiar to the general practitioner than other medical or nursing services. There is often a close association between social difficulties and health problems, both physical and psychiatric. It is, there fore, vital that an attempt is made to meet the social needs of patients in order to promote good physical and mental health. R.H. Corney 8 Series Foreword This series of books is designed to help general practitioners. So are other books. What is unusual in this instance is their collect ive authorship; they are written by specialists working at district general hospitals. The writers derive their own experi ence from a range of cases less highly selected than those on which textbooks are traditionally based. They are also in a good position to pick out topics which they see creating difficulties for the practitioners of their district, whose personal capacities are familiar to them; and to concentrate on contexts where mistakes are most likely to occur. They are all well-accustomed to working in consultation. All the authors write from hospital experience and from the viewpoint of their specialty. There are, therefore, matters important to family practice which should be sought not within this series, but elsewhere. Within the series much practical and useful advice is to be found with which the general practitioner can compare his existing performance and build in new ideas and improved techniques. These books are attractively produced and I recommend them. J.P. Horder CBE Past President, The Royal College of General Practitioners 9 Social problems: the key role of the doctor It has long been recognized that the individual in society must be seen in the context of his social enviroment. Thus, the social and psychological components of physical and mental illness are vital and may be in some cases as important as the bio Close associ logical components. Poverty and poor housing, for example, ation between have a demonstrably detrimental effect on physical and mental health and health while problems in personal relationships or a life crisis social sUGh as a bereavement frequently cause psychological distress. problems In addition to social problems affecting physical or mental health, illnesses or disabilities can directly affect a person's social circumstances. Someone who becomes physically disabled may lose his job, his wife may leave him, thus making him poor and lonely. Indeed, the problems of living with the chronic diseases are medicosocial and appropriate medical help has to take into account the physical, mental and social effects of these illnesses. As patterns of health need have changed, the workload and role of the general practitioner has radically altered. Nervous Major part of system disorders, social and emotional problems are now the the doctor's second most common category of reason for attending a general workload practitioner after coughs, colds and upper respiratory tract infections. One survey conducted in Buckinghamshire ably demonstrated the psychosocial content of the general practi tioner's work. Seventy doctors were asked to give standardized information about every patient seen on a certain day. Replies indicated that over one third of patients were believed by the doctor to have or cause some social or psychosocial difficulty. Four main social problem areas were identified with four 11
The list of books you might like
