Benecia Rodrigues
Unit 5 Meeting the individuals care and support needs
Ethical Care
P4 Explain the strategies and communication techniques used with individuals, different needs to
overcome different challenges
M4 Assess the strategies and communication techniques used to overcome different challenges
faced by individuals with different care and support needs
D2 Justify the strategies and techniques used to overcome ethical issues and challenges
experienced by individuals with different needs when planning and providing care.
In this assignment I will explain and assess different strategies and communication techniques that
will be used towards Valerie and Billy to overcome their needs and challenges. Likewise I will justify
the different challenges Billy and Valerie are facing. Furthermore I will demonstrate how service
users such as Valerie and Billy will use strategies and techniques to overcome ethical issues and
challenges by providing and planning care plans. I apply two Pearson BTEC case studies, which are
Valerie B and Billy G.
Care Study 1: Valerie B. aged 24 years
Valerie B. was admitted to the community hospital, following surgery for her appendix which burst
before she could reach hospital.
Valerie has mental health problems which began when her parents died when she was six years old.
Valerie’s surgery was complicated due to her being obese. She has low self-esteem and cannot see
why she needs to lose weight or change her lifestyle.
Valerie lives in flat provided by a housing association, but has been bullied by local teenagers because
of her obesity.
Valerie’s surgical wound is healing, but she does not want to go home because she is afraid that the
bullying will start again. She is unemployed and receives Universal benefit.
Valerie has a hearing impairment but has never been assessed for any support to improve her
hearing. Valerie is a vegetarian.
Case study 4: Billy G. aged 18 years
Billy is homeless and was admitted to the community hospital by a passing paramedic, when he had
an asthma attack in the street. The city hospital did not have beds and so a place was found in the
community hospital.
Billy left home following an argument with his mother’s partner, which resulted in a violent fight
between Billy and the man. He has been living on the streets since this incident. The weather is cold
and damp which contributed to the asthma attack.
Billy has a visual impairment and finds street living difficult. He cannot clearly read road signs or find
his way around the city easily. Billy has complained about stomach pains since being admitted to
hospital, which could be due to him living mainly on food from rubbish bins, thrown out by local
restaurants.
Billy cannot go back home from hospital, because his mother has changed the locks and has refused
to visit him.
,Benecia Rodrigues
Unit 5 Meeting the individuals care and support needs
Ethical Care
Strategic planning in the health care sector involves outlining the actionable steps needed to reach
specific goals1. On the other hand, communication in the health care sector is all about making
contact with others and being understood 2. Having good communication in health and social care is
important as this helps professionals to create better outcomes for service users, by expressing their
needs and by getting them to engage with their treatment 3.
Billy and Valerie may face different types of challenges such as awareness and knowledge. For
example, Billy is 18 years old and is homeless therefore he might not have the knowledge or access
to the internet or other helpful resources therefore he may not be aware of the funding help
available from organisations which may help him complete his education, help him find a job or even
provide basic needs such as food or shelter. Having limited knowledge would lead Billy to be
stressed out about where he can live and how he will be able to afford basic necessities such as food.
This may lead him to have emotional and mental problems due to stress therefore it is important for
health and social care providers to educate Billy about all the help he can receive from the
government as well as other organisations. Similarly, Valerie has a mental health problem from the
age of six due to her parents death therefore she may not have knowledge or is unaware about the
support she can receive from the government or other organisation due to her condition. She may
not know how to use the computer and search for help, such as finding mental health organisations
or counselling which would help improve her condition. Therefore, it is important for service
providers to educate her on how she can find suitable resources online such as funding in order to
meet her needs.
Billy and Valerie may also find it increasingly difficult to face practical challenges. For example,
Valarie may find it difficult to cook meals or wash herself due to her recent appendix surgery
therefore she may not eat healthy food as she may have to order her food from restaurants leading
to gain more weight and eat unhealthy food which would increase the severity of obesity leading to
other health problems such as diabetes resulting her to take more medications for the rest of her
life. This will negatively impact her emotional and mental health as she may not like her physical
appearance or due to the fact that she has to depend on medications to live a normal life. Similarly,
for Billy as he is young and homeless he would not be able to to eat healthy meals due to the fact
that he doesn't have a home and may not know how to cook therefore this would have resulted him
to eat food from the restaurant bins leading him to have stomach pain as identified in the case
study. Eating unhealthy food would also increase the risk of other medical conditions such as
osteoporosis or diabetes resulting in him to feel weak and not allowing him to carry out daily tasks.
Moreover, as Billy is homeless he may not have the chance of having a bath therefore he may smell
bad. This may not allow find a job due to employers discriminating against him due to his
appearance. This will negatively affect his mental health as he is unable to find a job leading him to
1https://online.regiscollege.edu/blog/understanding-strategic-planning-health-care-organizations/#:~:text=Strategic%20planning%20in%20health
%20care,needed%20to%20reach%20specific%20goals.&text=Increasingly%2C%20organizations%20are%20having%20to,changing
%20approaches%20to%20patient%20care.
2 https://www.skillsforcare.org.uk/Documents/Learning-and-development/Core-skills/Communication-skills-in-social-care.pdf
3https://www.virtual-college.co.uk/resources/2019/05/importance-of-communication-in-health-and-social-care#:~:text=According%20to%20the
%20USA's%20Institute,that%20they're%20struggling%20with.
, Benecia Rodrigues
Unit 5 Meeting the individuals care and support needs
Ethical Care
not afford basic needs such as food or shelter. This will make Billy feel less independent and sad as
he does not have a caregiver making him feel less loved.
Valerie may have to face skills challenges such as she may not have the ICT skills to find relevant
information online. For example, she may have to contact the NHS in times of emergency but is
unable to do so as she may not be able to find the correct number leading her emergency to worsen
and resulting in further complications which may lead to death. Similarly, as Billy is young he may
not have been able to finish his education meaning he may lack in certain skills such as ICT or writing
skills. This may not allow him to find a job as employers may want to recruit someone with good
skills therefore Billy may be discriminated against due to his age and lack of skills.
Moving on, Billy and Valerie may find acceptance and belief challenging. Billy and Valerie may lose
some of their mobility and the ability to carry out tasks due to their surgery or condition 4. They
would find it hard to accept that they may no longer manage on their own and may feel that they
have lost their independence therefore they would require care providers to carry out daily tasks for
Valerie and Billy.
As Valerie is obese she may face motivational challenges as she may find it hard to find motivation to
start losing weight and helping her improve her condition. Billy may also face motivational
challenges due to being neglected by his mother, he may face depression resulting in him eating
unhealthy food leading to more complications which would damage his quality of life.
Furthermore, Billy and Valerie may face communication challenges due to the fact that Valerie has a
hearing impairment therefore she may lack understanding important information. On the other
hand, Billy has a visual impairment therefore he finds reading information hard. The health and
social providers should provide Valerie with a hearing aid and Billy with glasses; this will allow both
the individuals to carry out daily tasks making them independent. To overcome their challenges,
communication is vital because it can empower and promote Billy’s and Valerie’s independence.
Therefore, health and social care providers should identify these challenges and outline a plan in
order to help Billy and Valerie to overcome these difficulties and live an independent life.
In order to help overcome challenges health and social care workers should adapt to different
methods of identifying challenges such as observation, focus groups, talking to individuals informally
and using questionnaires5.
The first strategy is observation, this is the most important skill that service providers should adapt
to as it will help them to identify challenges and problems quickly therefore enabling them to
address the problem before it worsens. Observation and identifying patterns of behaviour would
outline development problems within an individual therefore allowing them to receive the attention
required. Fox example, service providers may find signs of depression or abuse within Billy and
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