Article Review: Risk Factors and Safeguarding in Health & Social Care

This report is an article review examining safeguarding practices within the health and social care (HSC) sector. The review focuses on incidents of abuse and harm, particularly those affecting vulnerable individuals like the elderly. The report analyzes a case study involving a patient with a neuro-degenerative disease and a care taker, highlighting instances of financial abuse and the associated psychological impact. It identifies key risk factors such as the psychological state of the patient, lack of support from caretakers, and social isolation. The review also explores the patient's response, including raising awareness, communicating with family members, and the importance of evidence. The report concludes with a discussion of the need for vigilance and proactive measures to prevent abuse and ensure the safety and well-being of individuals receiving care. The report also includes references to relevant literature and guidelines on safeguarding practices.

ARTICLE REVIEW

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................................1
Q1 Incidents causing particular individuals and groups vulnerable to abuse and harms............1
Q2. Risk factors associated with incidence of abuses and harm ................................................3
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................4
REFERENCES.................................................................................................................................5

INTRODUCTION
The present report is based upon a given case script to define an essential requisition of
safeguarding into the health and social care (HSC) sector. This is fundamentally depicting about
some eradicable clauses of individuals into such vital field of HSC. It is where the affiliated
bodies of HSC are reputed to engage into some beneficiary activities of servicing the users rather
than exploiting any sort of trauma to them.
Q1 Incidents causing particular individuals and groups vulnerable to abuse and harms
Abuse, harm are danger directly reflect to certain unwanted and atrocious resultants of
violence and cruelty. This is where the person is mainly treated into an indecent manner by some
people suffering from a distressed state of mind. It could however exists with many related
conclusions into which the defendant party may be dealing with a troubled event of their minds
or some other related trauma of financial loss, etc. However, abuse and harm are considered to
be with a slightly distinguished concept into which an abuse mainly refers to numerous related
cogitations of exploiting the plaintiff with a physical or mental harm in the form of assault by a
violated act (Rigby and et.al., 2011). Harm on another hand is somehow reflected to cause a
physical trauma to an individual in the form of injuries, etc. Distress, pain and anguish are
apparently considered to be some vital resultants of such activities. However, it is vitally
important for the sufferers to raise their voice against such digressive acts rather than silently
dealing with its grievous consequences. It is mostly due to their quiet approach of not
complaining about such incidents that in turn results into these severe mishaps.
The given script is in regard to exemplify such abusive case of a patient named Lynette
who was suffering from the disease of neuro-degenerative. As a result to which, her family
contacted an HSC and appointed a care taker at their home to constantly provide health
assistance to the diligent. This was mainly due to some factual resultants of this particular
disease for which Mrs Lynette Nardone was unable to move at her own and thus became house
bound (Karanikolos and et.al., 2013). However, the care taker was suspected by Mrs Nardone
where she complained her family members about financial abuse by their appointed care taker.
This is due to a constant departure of money from her handbag where she suspected the care
provider named Nadia. On reporting the susceptibility, Mrs Nardone and her family decided to
install camera at their rooms by together complaining the concerned authorities of Nadia about it.

This referred to the higher authorities of HSC where Nadia was working as a subordinate body.
Mrs Nardone and her family members thus wanted them to take some liable actions against such
activity by one of their representative.
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According to the given scenario, the entire incident have largely affected Mrs Nardone
into a pessimistic way. Such mishaps not only results into exploiting a negative postulation of the
sufferer's mind but it completely destroys the faith and trust factor into them. However, there
exists certain enumerable stages to detect and defeat such eradicable elements where the sufferer
should directly aim to firmly respond upon it. Below ascertained compositions are reflected to
such responsive approach by the plaintiff against the defendant party- Raising voice against the abuser with some proven evidence- This is in relation to define
the foremost step the sufferer where they should directly raise hero voice against such
atrocious events in order to halt them (Safeguarding people, 2016. This is where Mrs
Nadone was seemingly helpless to instantly raise her voice against the abusive care taker. Terminated facet of negotiating with such grievous circumstances- This is in order to
completely end any discoursing factor into such situations by not facing it quietly. Thus,
into the present scenario of Nadia and Mrs Nadone, she too doesn't consider discussing
the act with her care taker and rather interacted with her family members about the
incident.
 Direct communication with family members about such activities- It is referred to the
most supportive aspect where the family members always play a vital role of assistance.
Mrs Nadone too approached for a similar cogitation of communicating the incident to her
family members. Consequently, they together enforced some liable steps of further
complaining to the accountable authorities of HSC from where they have appointed the
care provider (Lymbery, 2010). It was along with some proven elements of evidence
where they have primarily installed cameras to record the entire abusive event by the care
taker, Nadia.
A person suffering from such abusing substances directly gets vulnerable to such
situations where on relating it to the present scenario of Mrs Nardone, she was basically
considered to be at an undefended position for her illness that has made her incapacitated or
powerless to react at it (Currie and Lockett, 2011).
Q2. Risk factors associated with incidence of abuses and harm
As per the case scenario, it is found that Nadia used to steal money from Lynette Nardone
house. Lynette is suffering from rare debilitating neuro-degenerative disease and in order to take
care of her, Nadia was appointed as a care taker. Further, by analysing the above article it is
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found that it is generally being linked with the major incident of abuse and harm to the others.
Being a elderly and aged patient Lynette is harmed by Nadia many a times in form of robbery
and not giving them prior treatment (Sheldon, 2011). Some of the risk factors relating to the
same has been discussed down under: Psychological state: Psychological state is also known as depression or mental illness
which is generally caused to a person because of different types of activities happened in
form of abuses and harm. This type of situation is clearly evident and visualised in the
case of Mrs. Lynette and the incident which has taken place has caused some sort of
physical and mental problem to her. Taking care of patient without getting any reward: This point can be seen as a major
problem for the care takers because hospital firm does not give any sort of reward to
caretakers and with this they are really influenced and get affected in negative form.
Further, with this they started behaving arrogantly with the patient and this may lead
towards affecting their health upto some extent (Promising Strategies to Reduce
Substance Abuse, 2000). Not able cope with the stress in the old age: This whole scenario generally revolve
around the financial abuse which has occurred and the same has created lot of tension for
her. This type of stress has been caused to her because of wrong and unethical work done
by the caretaker Nadia. In order to find out the truth that whether Nadia is culprit or not,
investment of installing camera has been done which has eventually caused them around
£1000. Such type of amount means a lot for the one who is in their old age and living
their life on pensions (Currie and Lockett, 2011). Further, it is also found that Lynette
has to go through different types of formalities as well which is causing them mental
illness. There are also chances that Lynette can also cause risk to their life. Further,
behaviour from the caretaker is also giving her a lot of tension that Nadia can do
anything to her and she will not be able to do anything due to her sickness. Lack in support from caretakers: Caretaker are not able to give utmost care to the
patients and especially individual who is in their old age (McKeeargue, 2010). It is
because they are not given proper training and development program by the senior
doctors and professionals. It is well indeed true that care takers especially who are in
their old age is in need of utmost care and need best of the support from the care takers.
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Further, Lynette is not getting quality of services from the caretakers and also she is
affected by services given by Nadia. However, patient stated a statement that she felt
pity and helpless to accuse people who care for them. This shows that she has a sense of
care for the Nadia even after knowing that she is the culprit and were stealing money
from her place (Parton, 2011).
 Social isolation: From the case scenario, it was found that Lynette was suffering from
major disease which is found rare in patients namely neuro-degenerative disease. It is a
disease which generally occur when neurons in the human brain cause short term loss
and affect the health of individual. Moreover, this type of diseases can be severe in
nature and by having more tension, this disease will grow and make person mentally
sick. Therefore, in order to get over from it, Lynette is in need of prior care and support
from doctors and especially from the caretakers. If not so given on time then it may lead
into depression for the person and the same can be result into death as well (Grajales III
and et.al., 2014). Thus, doctor has to assign a right care taker for the patient.
CONCLUSION
The above report has demonstrated an atrocious position of an old age patient suffering
from neuro-degenerative disease. The diligent named Lynette was however suffered with some
counter demeanour of her care taker. This is where the care provider used to steal money from
the belongings of her service user and thus represented an ineligible manner of harming others.
The report has thereby articulated certain risk factor associated with such incidents of causing
abuse and harm with a primary description of such assailable statures.
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REFERENCES
Journals and Books
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conjoint or collective?. International Journal of Management Reviews. 13(3). pp. 286-300.
Grajales III, F.J. and et.al., 2014. Social media: a review and tutorial of applications in medicine
and health care. Journal of medical Internet research. 16(2). p.e13.
Karanikolos, M. and et.al., 2013. Financial crisis, austerity, and health in Europe. The Lancet,
381(9874). pp. 1323-1331.
Lymbery, M., 2010. A new vision for adult social care? Continuities and change in the care of
older people. Critical Social Policy. 30(1). pp. 5-26.
McKeeargue, M., 2010. Budget crises, health, and social welfare programmes. Bmj, 341, p.77.
Parton, N., 2011. Child protection and safeguarding in England: Changing and competing
conceptions of risk and their implications for social work. British Journal of Social Work.
41(5). pp. 854-875.
Rigby, M. and et.al., 2011. Social care informatics as an essential part of holistic health care: a
call for action. International Journal of Medical Informatics. 80(8). pp. 544-554.
Sheldon, B., 2011. Cognitive-behavioural therapy: Research and practice in health and social
care. Routledge.
Online
Promising Strategies to Reduce Substance Abuse. 2000. Available through:
<https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojp/183152.pdf>. [Accessed on 27th June 2016].
Safeguarding people. 2016. [Online]. Available through:
<http://www.cqc.org.uk/content/safeguarding-people>. [Accessed on 27th June 2016].
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