Supporting Individuals: Life Events in Health and Social Care Context

This essay delves into the profound impact of significant life events on individuals, particularly within the context of health and social care. It analyzes the various ways these events, such as illness, loss, and bereavement, affect individuals' mental and emotional well-being, leading to stress, grief, and depression. The essay further examines group responses to these events, focusing on the roles of family, society, friends, and colleagues in providing support. It evaluates the effectiveness of organizational policies and procedures, like bereavement care standards and palliative care funding, in aiding those affected. Additionally, it explores the contributions of nurses, carers, and managers in health and social care settings. The essay concludes with recommendations for improving support systems within these organizations to better assist individuals and their social networks during challenging life events.

Supporting Significant Life Events
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Table of Contents
Introduction:....................................................................................................................................3
Task 1...............................................................................................................................................4
1.1 Explain the impact of significant life events on individuals..................................................4
1.2 Analyze possible group responses to significant life events that occur to one of its
members.......................................................................................................................................5
1.3 Analyze the impact for others in health and social care when an individual experiences
significant life events...................................................................................................................6
Task 2...............................................................................................................................................8
2.1 Evaluate the effectiveness of organizational policies and procedures in supporting
individuals and their social networks affected by significant life events....................................8
2.2 Explain how others in social networks may provide support to individuals experiencing
significant life events...................................................................................................................9
2.3 Evaluate the suitability of external sources of support for those affected by significant life
events.........................................................................................................................................10
Task 3.............................................................................................................................................11
3.1 Analyze possible organizational responses to the need to support individuals experiencing
a significant life event................................................................................................................11
3.2 Reflect on own personal contributions to the support of individuals experiencing
significant life events.................................................................................................................13
3.3 Make recommendations for improving the support available in a health and social care
organization for individuals and their social networks when affected by significant life events.
...................................................................................................................................................14
Reference List:...............................................................................................................................16
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Introduction:
This essay will be ideally based on health and social care and the way in which life events impact
the lives of individual. It is known that these significant life events usually monitor our responses
to stimuli and it determines the mental state that a person is in. With the help of this essay, the
learners will be able to analyze the impacts of different types of life events on the lives of
individuals. This essay will also discuss the varied responses of the members of a group if in case
a member from the same group is inflicted with life event. Such life events have a major impact
on the lives of the members and it will be discussed in this essay. The essay will also outline the
supports that are available for the individuals that are in these health and social care homes.
Therefore, it can be said that the essay gives a vivid description about the impacts of life events
on individuals.
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Task 1
1.1 Explain the impact of significant life events on individuals.
Life events are said to have major affect on the lives of people that have faced such
consequences. It can be highly depressing at times and people often tend to succumb to the
situation that they are in. In such cases, people usually are traumatized due to the loss or the
crisis that they have suffered. Individuals usually take a lot of time to get out of the situation and
in some major cases, people usually take a lot of time to get out of the situation and they take
recourse from their daily activities.
Stress
In the given case study, Tom and Sue had a daughter named Jill. Jill suffered from leukemia or
blood cancer, which is considered to be a deadly disease and at the same time it is incurable.
Their daughter was admitted to the hospital for nearly about a couple of week and thereafter, she
would make frequent visits to the hospital in order to get her checkup done. A couple of weeks
ago her death, Jill was admitted to the hospital because she was in a critical condition and things
could get worse. This created a lot of stress in the minds of her parents and they were trying to
deal with the situation and overcome it (Pocnet et al., 2016).
Grief
The healthcare professionals were said to be very caring and gentle to the kid as well as her
parents. The healthcare professionals were aware of the nightmare that was about to come and
however, they tried their best to save the life of the daughter. There was a nurse who was
involved in the treatment of Jill. When Jill passed away, she was highly depressed and stressed at
the same time and she was unable to attend work for a few days. As a result of the loss of their
child, the parents were undergoing a phase of grief (Berger et al., 2015).
Depression
The parents were depressed to a great extent as a result of the loss of the child. An organization
named ‘Shaping the Bereavement’ gave a great deal of support to the family and helped them to
recover as early as possible. The father of the child could recover quickly but her mother was not
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being able to recover at all. She would not go to work and the company that she worked at gave
her unpaid leaves. She would sob and talk to herself that she could not express her love to her
child. She would at times question herself as to why it happened to her daughter because she was
really young to undergo such a great disaster. She became really over protective about David, the
only child now left in the family. She used to think that she could not protect Jill; however, she
would do anything to protect David (Mayo et al., 2017).
1.2 Analyze possible group responses to significant life events that occur to one of its
members.
There are various groups that are related to the members who have suffered the impacts of life
events. The responses of different groups are also different in terms of the condition that the
family is in their responses are discussed in a detailed manner below:
Family:
The family of the bereaved comes in to the picture and plays the most important role. They can
share the pain of the bereaved by consoling them about the life event that has taken place. This
helps them to get over the bad phase of life and with the help of this; they can also overcome the
trauma that they are already in. family members should look to stay beside the bereaved as they
would need their help. Jill’s father himself coped up with the situation however, her mother Sue,
could not. Therefore, his father consulted the counseling department as he knew it would help
her mother to recover from the mental trauma that they are in (Steeger et al., 2017).
Society:
The society also plays a very important role in terms of helping the bereaved to overcome the
present scenario that the family is in. if the response of the society is a positive one, it becomes
easier for the bereaved family to cope up with the situation easily. They have to try and be as
much supportive as they can and should also try and share their grievances (Jafri et al., 2017).
Friends:
The response of friends that are received by the family that has been bereaved is considered to be
immense. They usually spend time with the family and help them by giving condolence. They
also try to cheer them up during special occasions and festivals by being around with them.
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Friends should also look to offer them help by helping in the households or shopping or maybe
looking after their kids as it helps to ease the burden of loneliness to a great extent (Sharmeen et
al., 2014).
Colleagues:
It is known that if in case the employee of a certain organization undergoes a case of
bereavement, then the behavior of the office staffs and managers can have a major impact on the
mental state of the affected people. In the given case study, the mother of Jill got an unpaid leave
from the office because she was not in condition to attend office. Moreover, even after the leave,
the mother could not recover and join office. Verbal support from the office colleagues may be
said to have a very long lasting impact on the bereaved employee.
1.3 Analyze the impact for others in health and social care when an individual experiences
significant life events.
There are many different groups in the health and social care workplace that are directly or
indirectly related to the patients admitted in the hospital. These different groups are also
impacted in a huge way by the death of the people admitted to the health and social workplace.
The impacts on these groups have been discussed in a detailed manner below:
Nurses:
Nurses are considered to be very close to the person admitted to the health and social care
workplace. They are also in touch with the patient’s family on a regular basis. If in case there’s a
death of the admitted patient, it can be seen that there is a major impact on the nurses. They start
feeling depressed as they spend time with the patient and they tend to develop a certain sort of
attachment with the patient and their family. In the given case study as well, the nurse that took
care of the girl child, Jill, was highly connected to the kid. When the chronic disease killed the
girl, it was highly difficult for the nurse to come to terms with the truth. She started being
depressed and as a result of this, she stopped coming to work for a few days (Li et al., 2016).
Carers:
After the nurses, it is the carers that generally have a close relation with the patient and their
family. As a result of the process of care taking, they tend to become very close to the patient.
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After all the attachments that they have shared, if the patient is dead; it becomes very difficult for
them to cope up with the situation and they tend to succumb to the situation. The health and
social care workplace should take necessary measures to ensure that they cope up with the
situation easily (Orrell et al., 2017).
Managers or Meals on Wheels:
The managers of the health and social care workplace are also said to have direct connection to
the patient and their families. It is the manager of the health and social care that take the patient
into the hospital when they come for admission. The people that provide food to the patients also
interact with them on a regular basis and therefore, they become close with the patient. If the
patient passes away, then it becomes very difficult for them to see through the situation.
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Task 2
2.1 Evaluate the effectiveness of organizational policies and procedures in supporting
individuals and their social networks affected by significant life events.
There are various policies that are followed by the health and social care organizations in order
to support the individuals and their social networks that are usually affected by various
significant life events. Three of the most important policies have been discussed in a detailed
manner below:
Standards for Bereavement care (2001):
With the help of the standards set by the bereavement care in the year 2001, a lot of matters were
easily clarified that were related to the bereavement care in the health and social care workplace.
With the help of this standard, there were many new policies and procedures that came into
action. There were many topics that were considered to be diffuse and vague and as a result of
this standard, they were taken into consideration. With the help of this standard, the health and
social care workplace would aim at developing various effective ways and means by which they
can help the bereaved family in a proper manner. Many bereavement services were given
opportunities and as a result the health and social care workplace could make use of them to
offer support to the bereaved families (Hudson et al., 2017).
Palliative Care Funding Review (2011):
Palliative care funding review is said to be a very important step taken by the government of the
United Kingdom. With the help of palliative care funding review, the government of the state is
provides funding to the patients on an individual basis. It has turned out to be of great help for
the people who are admitted in the health and social care workplace. There are many people who
are found to be suffering from palliative disease and they do not have enough money to get
themselves treated. With the help of this funding system, people usually get a great amount of
help in terms of the disease that they are suffering from (Smith et al., 2014).
Shaping Bereavement Care (2010):
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With the help of this type of care, the health and social care workplace in the United Kingdom
are able to deal with the different forms of bereavements that the families of the patients are
suffering from. This bereavement care is generally provided to the family of the deceased.
However, it can sometimes be the nurses or the carers of the deceased that might require
bereavement care and they are provided with it based on their needs (Martin et al., 2016).
2.2 Explain how others in social networks may provide support to individuals experiencing
significant life events.
Legal Advisors:
Legal advisors play a very important role when it comes to the death of a certain individual in a
family. They are the ones who take care of different types legal allegations that the family is
faced with. In such conditions, the family members usually tend to breakdown. The legal
advisors therefore, have to be very alert regard all the financial and other issues that the family
might be facing. They have to keep the family members updated with various important
information related to the legal things that are associated with the family (Halliday et al., 2015).
Holistic Support:
With the help of precise and proper holistic support, the physical and psychological well being of
an individual is taken care of. This could generally relate to preferences and needs of the
individual that are associated with their care, treatment and support. The psychological and
physical condition of an individual is not necessarily controllable all the times. Therefore, the
health and social care workplace should ensure that they tailor the treatment properly to these
individuals (Walsh, 2015).
Therapist:
Ideally, the role of the therapist comes after a few months after the death of the patient has taken
place. They also play a very important role to help and support the family of the deceased. There
are many cases when the family of the patient has suffered a great deal of trauma and depression
and as a result of this; they tend to be become stressed. The therapist are needed in such
situations as they help the family by giving them proper counseling and with the help of this,
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they bring the family members out of depression that they are presently suffering from (Miller,
2015).
2.3 Evaluate the suitability of external sources of support for those affected by significant
life events.
In most of the cases there are many external supports that are available for the family members
of the deceased. These sources provide a great deal of support to the family members in order to
cope up with the current mental trauma that they are in. As a result of this, the family members
can get over their traumatized situation in an easy manner. Some of these external supports have
been discussed in a detailed manner below:
Spiritual Support:
Spiritual support can be of great help when it comes to getting over the traumatized situation of
an individual who has suffered the loss of their family member. People often take recourse to
spiritualism in order to get over their present state of mind. Therefore, spiritualism can turn out
to be great help for the people who have suffered loss. It can be said that they can get a great deal
of mental peace by using the method of spiritual support (Yan et al., 2014).
Health Care Agencies:
People who undergo loss of their family members often get highly depressed because of the
trauma that they are in. In these cases, they might end up being ill and have various health issues.
This is when the health care agencies come into action. The family members are admitted to
these health and social care agencies and therefore they are treated, so that they can regain their
health condition. Therefore, health care agencies are considered to be a great external source of
support for the families of the individuals.
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Task 3
3.1 Analyze possible organizational responses to the need to support individuals
experiencing a significant life event.
In the given context, as Tom and Sue were bereaved due to uncertain death of their daughter Jill
suffering from Leukemia, various organizations came forward with different responses.
Organizational responses vary in nature, which can be either to show empathy, offer support or
inform choice to the bereaved ones (Matthews et al., 2016). Organizations like NHS or World
Health Organization offer support through communicating with the bereaved and keeping being
confidential about the information shared between the clients and the practitioners.
Communication proved to an effective response towards clients suffering from bereavement.
Through communication, clients can disclose the feelings or the emotions they are passing
through. Verbal communication acts as an important element is resolving almost half of the
issue.
Figure 1: Organizational Response
(Source: Created by learner)
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Client

Communication with the bereaved: Individuals not able to express their feelings or convey their
emotions leads to drastic stage of bereavement. Communicating with the clients helps them to
come out of the stage of bereavement and be internally strong to deal with such situation (Toller,
2016). Communication helps the practitioners to understand the root cause of bereavement and
tackle the situation accordingly. Communication, that too verbal communication includes face-to
face interaction between the bereaved and the practitioners. Communication can be sharing of
personal information, which can help to resolve issues by taking prompt actions. Due to
bereavement, clients often lose their confidence level and are reluctant to take care of themselves
or involve in surrounding activities. Communication can help them to overcome such situation,
even by including their family members. Positive communication ensures to motivate the
bereaved individual (Terrill et al., 2017).
Confidentiality and Data Protection: Organizational responses mainly lie on the fact to protect
the information of the clients and ensuring that their data are protected (No, 2017). Data of the
clients are to be kept secured and safe, keeping all the related information confidential.
Health and Safety measures: By ensuring these safety measures, clients gain trust for the
organization and feels comfortable to share their emotions. This act as a therapy as individuals
share their information acting as a helping hand for the organization. Organizational responses
include the health and safety measures to be in the priority list as the sufferer are unable to take
care of themselves due to bereaved situation.
In the given context, Shaping the Bereavement and Bereavement Partner Support Group are
the two organizations that came forward to lend support to Tom and Sue. Health care offered
counseling to sufferer in the given scenario, which helped Sue to come back to normal situation
slowly. Counseling helps bereaved individual with the strength to overcome the situation
(Winokuer and Harris, 2015).
Employment related policies: Even from the employment perspective, organization where Sue
was employed offered flexible working hours to assist her during situation of bereavement.
Organizations must ensure that the patients are provided with certain policies to safeguard them
from being discriminated in workplace or even ensure certain relaxations.
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