Perceptions of Health, Disability and Illness

This project explores the different perceptions of health, disability, and illness. It analyzes the historical and current definitions of these concepts and discusses the differences in perceptions over time. It also examines the role of stakeholders in service design and review, as well as how to promote the participation and independence of users of health and social care services.

PERCEPTIONS OF
HEALTH,DISABILITY
AND ILLNESS

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................3
Historical and current definition applied to health, disability and illness..............................3
Analysing the differences in perceptions historically and in present day .............................4
TASK-2............................................................................................................................................5
Linking to Legislation discussing how to promote the participation and independence of users
of health and social care services...........................................................................................5
Discussing the mechanisms by which service users can be involved in developing services6
TASK 3 ...........................................................................................................................................6
The role of stakeholders in service design and review...........................................................6
Feedback from all stakeholders can be collected...................................................................7
Potential tensions in developing services with stakeholders for health and social care
organisations...........................................................................................................................8
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................8
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................9
Books and journals.................................................................................................................9

INTRODUCTION
Health is a fundamental right of an individual which is a state of complete physical,
mental and social well-being. It means that health is not just an absence of disease. Illness is a
state when there is negative change in functionality of an organ or entire individual. Illness is
often related to medical conditions with particular signs and symptoms. The environment of an
individual is linked to health or illness based on his/her interaction and adaptability. Disability is
a condition in which it becomes difficult for a person to do certain activities or interact with the
environment around them (Adamson and et. al., 2018). These conditions may be physical, mental
or developmental or combination of other cause. This project covers different perceptions of
health, disability and illness. As per Task one, analysing historical and current definition applied
on health, disability and illness and differences in perceptions historically and in present day. As
per Task two, discussing about promoting independence in service users and mechanisms by
which service users can be included in developing services. As per Task three, evaluating role of
stakeholders in service design and review and feedback collection from stakeholder and
discussing about potential tensions in developing services with stakeholders for health and social
care organisations.
TASK 1
Historical and current definition applied to health, disability and illness
The meanings of health, disabilities and illness varies across cultures and time.
Historically health was considered based on attribute of lack of disease, signs or problems.
Ancient Greeks consider health as a concept of paramount value, their initial perspective of
health as heavenly and illness as supernatural process were later replaced by realization that life
habits and environment of an individual are important factor that plays a great role in health of
an individual (Rolland, J. S., 2019). In current definition of health, disability and illness, it is
being defined as having of any individual body in which an individual founds it difficult to
perform various tasks assigned to them. The development in the fields of science, medicine,
sociology, psychology and politics changed philosophical concept of health and replaced by
scientific ones. Late in 1940s, WHO defines health as a condition of a complete well-being with
respect to a person’s physical, mental and social view and not simply as the absence of disease or
symptoms, they altered culture of evaluating a person's status from strictly medical view (Boyle

2017). So rather stating health as an absence of illness, health was conceptualized as presence of
absolute and positive qualities. Illness in 17th century was defined as a state of ill health,
condition of being ill. Older meanings consider ill as evil. In 18th century illness was stated as
wickedness, unpleasantness or depravity. Illness is a state or condition of being unhealthy or
often accompanied by any disease. Some may not have any significant symptoms (Nettleton, S.,
2020).
In medieval era, disabilities were seen as a punishment from God for one's activity or sin
or because of behaviour of their ancestors. Disabilities were considered as failure, or defect of
individual. Persons with deformities were kept isolated or away from public views, they were
often denied from education, care, employment (Fletcher, J. M. and et. al., 2018). Their
differences were seen negatively; in some societies they were forced to beg for money as they
don't have means of support. By 1800s disability was seen as an issue of health complications.
Motive of medical management became curing of disabled or modifying conditions for
improvement in state of individual. By 1857, policies and laws promoted employment or income
support, transportation, housing facilities for individual with disabilities. But still more work
have to be done for improving the life standards of persons with disabilities.
Analysing the differences in perceptions historically and in present day
Autism spectrum disorder is a term used to define a group of neuro developmental
disorders, characterized by difficulties of communication and interaction. They often
demonstrate repetitive, restricted or a unique pattern of behaviour. Autism symptoms becomes
apparent during early childhood between 12-24 months of age. Early symptoms include delay in
language, trouble maintaining eye contact, problems developing and maintaining relationship,
repetition of movements (Lautenbacher, S. and et. al., 2017). As previously this disorder was
being perceived as normally and was being treated as by birth causing disease. But in current
scenario, respective disability is being treated with proper scientific medications and proper
precautions are being given my specialist doctor to various patience ongoing with treatment of
this disability.
Before discussing the present scenario after taking an overview of the history of autism in
several dimension in this the patterns and circumstances. They are usually based on ancient
topology, as in 1943, a doctor Leo Kanner started observing group of children with mental
retardation, it can be noted that are having difficulties in speech show repetitive behaviours. At

that time, treatments were limited and the children were kept away from public eye. Parents were
often blamed for their children conditions (Wider, K. V., 2018).
There has been a great progress in field of autism over last decades. There was a time
once syndrome was seldom discussed in public, but now information about autism the
importance of its diagnosis, cause, cure is all around even on television, radio, internet searches.
Most of the people know that it is a disorder most probably caused by combination of genetic
and environmental factors. WHO and partners, are focussing on improving wellbeing and quality
of life of individual with ASD. They have developed parent skill training programmes, that can
reduce difficulties in communication and social behaviours of children (Fried and et. al., 2017).
TASK-2
Linking to Legislation discussing how to promote the participation and independence of users of
health and social care services
Legislation is defined as law introduced by government body to regulate, authenticate,
sanction or to grant that refers protection for community and public. The policies or practices
include inspection process, accountability or giving quality services for vulnerable people.
There are various ways to promote participation and independence of users in health and
social care services
 According to legislation, management and delivery of healthcare services by health and
social care services can be improved by empowering the caretakers. For this intention,
brief job description should be given to them in beginning so that they should understand
their duties and responsibilities and explaining realization of empowerment. Care
workers need to have a positive attitude, maintaining confidence of patients.
 As per current legislation laws, communication between care-workers and individuals
also contributes, exchanges of ideas, opinions, body language, eye contact.
 Assuring performance of care-worker by ensuring that they are up to date with respect to
patients curriculum. It sets effective relations with setting up of quality of services which
are being provided various business firm to their customers.
 Organisations should provide their employees with all important functions so that they
can include themselves in more activities, with accordance with various legislations.

Another advantage of giving information is that they would be able to solve basic
problems or making emergency decisions by their own.
Discussing the mechanisms by which service users can be involved in developing services
Effective service user involvement has significant role in ensuring that healthcare
services provided are of quality, meeting needs of clients, when implemented well, assures that
services are individual centred or with respect to need of an individual. This involvement makes
positive health outcomes, reduce inequality and improve well-being (Ringeisen and et al., 2017).
Service sector users is one who has used or using services. Service sector users can be involved
in service planning, care planning and recruitment process, delivery and ensuring quality of
services. Service users should feel that they have been treated with empathy, dignity, respect and
feel confident that care services will be effective. It proves to be an important mechanism in
which respective service users are provided with benefits of developing their services which are
to be provided customers. Service users can involve themselves in developing services by giving
feedbacks of services they received, their views should be used to monitor, improve and develop
services. Feedbacks about services that includes equipment, apparatus, machineries or about
healthcare staffs so that organization can improve further for a better service user experience.
Service users can actively involve in their recovery process by participating in planning and
coordination of their own care and working with the service providers for a fulfilling recovery.
TASK 3
The role of stakeholders in service design and review
Stakeholders being part of an organisation, which helps in successful development of
respective plans and strategies of an organisational firm. As per this, it is well defined as the
person who has interest in an organisation to take their responsibility in such a way to gain profit
(Begg and et. al., 2018). Stakeholders of respective business firms, helps in effective attainment
of various business plans as well as strategies. With addition to that, they also play an important
part in service designing of a business firm and also provides better review of business's projects
operated by firm in its given marketplace.
Designing: In this they consist of various employee and team and their member that work
in similar organisation which is used to prefer the internal consumer in case of internal service
provider. In this the main stakeholders are team, function and groups. Stakeholders of respective

company helps in establishing better service design for proving to the best quality of services
being delivered by the company to their valuable customers.
Review: It is an inclusion of all those individual of a company, who play an important
role in reviewing up of respective performances of the business firm on a regular basis. These
are customer which is responsible for taking good and service. Other one is user in which they
service on a daily basis. This is different from a customer which may not do the service directly.
As per this the user is differ from the customer and they do not intact with process of
organisation as the customer. Overall the main role of stakeholders in organisation are:
Defining the services: It refers to various practises being performed by concerned
departments of the business firm in delivering best possible satisfaction and comfort to
respective customers of the company. In this role of stakeholders, various services with regards
to product of the company, being post sales or pre sales are being determined.
Deploying the services: In this element of role of stakeholders, making various defined
services in previous stage is being delivered to ultimate customers of the business firm.
Managers and leaders of various business firm, ensures better service to their business
customers, as it helps in better development of customer relation and also contributes towards
establishment of better market presence of the workforce.
Service operation and monitoring: Various stakeholders of concerned business
enterprises regulates various services being provided by a business firm to their valuable
customers.
Feedback from all stakeholders can be collected
The feedback is essential for an organisation to improve their mistake which is
performance during the operation. This feedback process is necessary to know the factor which
affect the firm. As per this, feedback from stakeholders is collected by various process by using
the newest technological process. To getting feedback from the stakeholders is by using the
email and chat process which help to know issue and improvisation which is needed for the
organisation. There is various method which is useful for the taking feedback are such as team
meeting, feedback reports, collaborative spreadsheet, feedback collection platform and many
more (De Gooyert and et. al., 2017). With addition to that, collection of feedbacks I counted as
the most important task from various stakeholders of the company. It helps in development of
various plans and strategies and also brings in effectiveness of various activities being performed

in the company. Collection of regular feedbacks from service users becomes an important task
for stakeholders of the company, as it reflects on productivity of efforts being offered in the open
marketplace.
Potential tensions in developing services with stakeholders for health and social care
organisations
Quality improvement is defined as the effort which affect a broader range of people then
obtain. There are various types of stakeholders which help determination of developing service.
They face various issue while implementing any new changes which is for health and social are
such in several cases they do not start their plan with proper vision, mission and objective. As
per this, there is an analysis of various stakeholders and their abilities which provide way to take
a step according to this and last communicate the crucial information which is necessary to know
by other in context to rapid and continuous growth (Vrontis and et. al., 2020).
CONCLUSION
As per the above discussion, the health, disability and illness history was analysed and
their factor which affect the life and process of a patient. In this the perceptions which is based
on historical events are followed. In addition, the various legislation process and operation are
well discussed which provide an outline to promote service users. Moreover, the role and
potential risk of stakeholders in health and social care are being discussed herein. With addition
to that, potential tensions in developing service related areas to stakeholders of various
companies is being highlighted in this meta-analysis.

REFERENCES
Books and journals
Adamson and et. al., 2018. ‘Move it or lose it’: perceptions of the impact of physical activity on
multiple sclerosis symptoms, relapse and disability identity. Qualitative Research in
Sport, Exercise and Health, 10(4), pp.457-475.
Begg and et. al., 2018. The role of local stakeholder participation in flood defence decisions in
the United Kingdom and Germany. Journal of Flood Risk Management, 11(2), pp.180-
190.
Boyle, M.P., 2017. Personal perceptions and perceived public opinion about stuttering in the
United States: Implications for anti-stigma campaigns. American Journal of Speech-
Language Pathology, 26(3), pp.921-938.
De Gooyert and et. al., 2017. Reviewing the role of stakeholders in operational research: A
stakeholder theory perspective. European Journal of Operational Research, 262(2),
pp.402-410.
Fletcher, J. M. and et. al., 2018. Learning disabilities: From identification to intervention.
Guilford Publications.
Fried and et. al., 2017. The health and social isolation of American veterans denied Veterans
Affairs disability compensation. Health & social work, 42(1), pp.7-14.
Lautenbacher, S. and et. al., 2017. Age changes in pain perception: a systematic-review and
meta-analysis of age effects on pain and tolerance thresholds. Neuroscience &
Biobehavioral Reviews, 75, pp.104-113.
Nettleton, S., 2020. The sociology of health and illness. John Wiley & Sons.
Ringeisen and et al., 2017. Supported education for individuals with psychiatric disabilities:
State of the practice and policy implications. Psychiatric rehabilitation journal, 40(2),
p.197.
Rolland, J. S., 2019. Families, health, and illness. Handbook of health social work, pp.331-357.
Vrontis and et. al., 2020. Sustainable Development in Tourism: A Stakeholder Analysis of the
Langhe Region. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, p.1096348020982353.
Wider, K. V., 2018. The bodily nature of consciousness: Sartre and contemporary philosophy of
mind. Cornell University Press.