Models of health and disability

Question 1

What is health?

Answer 1

• Free from injury, illness or disability

- A state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.

Question 2

What is disability?

Answer 2

• A physical or mental condition that limits a persons movement, senses or activities
• A physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long term negative effect on ones ability to do normal activities

Question 3

Why have definitions of disability?

Answer 3

• To discover how many disabled people there are,
• To identify what services are needed and allocate resources,
• To develop expertise and knowledge of professionals,
• To develop policy in relation to disability

Question 4

What is the definition of impairment?

Answer 4

Impairment is any loss or abnormality of psychological or anatomical structure or function e.g. stroke

Question 5

What is the definition of Handicap?

Answer 5

Handicap is any disadvantage or restriction of activity caused by disability e.g. stroke-unable to work.

Question 6

How many people in the UK have a disability or are caring for someone who does

Answer 6

1 in 4

Question 7

What was the traditional model of health and disability?

Answer 7

• Segregation and social isolation of disabled people,

- Disabled people were seen as passive recipients of charity/welfare

Question 8

What was the 1970s- present model of health and disability

Answer 8

• Increased social contract between disabled people, their families, local communities, wider society institutions and increasingly government,
• Rise of disability movement-social model

Question 9

What is the 1990s onwards model of health

Answer 9

• Increasing the emphasis on mainstreaming disability services + the provision within public services to facilitate social inclusion,
• Increasing shift to biopsychosocial model/human rights model

Question 10

What is the biomedical/medical model?

Answer 10

• Disease and medical based,
• Focus on diagnosing diseases, discovering causes, designing treatments,
• Aims at fixing, removal of symptoms,
• Solutions medical or techincal,
• Health professional is expert with advice, treatment and cure,
• Hierarchy clinician centred diagnosis,
• Patient versus patient

Question 11

What is the social model? (1970s)

Answer 11

• Created by people with disabilities to take action against discrimination,
• Campaigns for better building access, more consideration,
• A tool to challenge, confront + change society,
• Sent a clear message to healthcare professionals

Question 12

What is the biopsychosocial model (George Engel)

Answer 12

• Attempts to recognise the concerns of the social model,
• Encourages holistic understanding of complex experiences of health and illness,
• Acknowledges psychological and social facts of disease and injury,
• Encourages a person centred approach,
• Accepts each persons experiences of disease in an individual manner,

Question 13

Applying the Biopsychosocial model- what aspects are important?

Answer 13

Empathy, Effective communication, Active listening, Facilitating responses, person-centered approach,
Towards self management

Question 14

What is the affirmative model about?

Answer 14

Respecting/acknowledging someone’s disability

Question 15

What kind of term is disability?

Answer 15

An umbrella term, covering impairments, activity limitations and participation restrictions