Unit 5 Meeting Individual Care and support Needs - Learning aims – A, B, C
There are various challenges that each individual service user is facing, within this report I will be notating and
discussing each individual's care and support needs. Firstly, starting with service user Ron, he is currently 63 years
old, Ron suffered from a bleed on the brain, which was caused by an intracranial haemorrhage, also known as a
stroke, he was not found or treated for 48hrs which has left him with severe trauma. Some of the challenges that Ron
may face due to his current condition are motivational; previously to Ron stroke he had a highly active social life, he
has been given a range of support aids, however he sees them as being more suited to the elderly rather than himself,
due to this he has been suffering with motivational issues such as depression. Due to all the health traumas that Ron
has been through such as the stroke and the bleed on his brain it is inevitable that this has taken a severe effect on his
motivational ability, he is quite depressed in his current situation and may feel that he is unable to commit to or
perform tasks the way that he used to. Since he now only seldom depression; other and a few close friends, his
depression may be because he feels isolated because he used to be very social before; because he is currently living
alone, he may feel helpless and overwhelmed with his health conditions, this is having a negative impact his health
because due to the lack of motivation caused by his depression, he is not using the necessary medical aids provided
for him. One way that this challenge can be overcome is if the Occupational therapist and Ron’s close friends and
family try and support him more and help him to not be so overwhelmed with his situation and help him to recognise
that the medical aids that are provided by the occupational therapist are necessary for his rehabilitation they could
motivate and encourage him to use them and, in this way, Ron may feel more calm and this will inevitably make
him feel less depressed. Another Challenge that Ron is currently facing is communication challenges, he has speech
difficulties and is currently going through speech therapy this his helping but not having much of an effect, also he is
illiterate, this could have a negative effect on his condition and rehabilitation process because if he finds it difficult
to communicate he may not feel that he has the capability to ask for help from family and close friends which may
leave him to feel anxious and helpless and isolate him further and this can lead to increase stress, and anxiety and
may lead to him having a more serious case of depression, in addition to this because Ron finds it so difficult to
communicate and produce speech, he may find it difficult to ask for help from his medical services for example his
occupation therapist; Ron has been given a range of aids to support him, however he sees them as being for “old
people” and does not use them because of this, as he is finding it difficult to communicate he may struggle to tell his
occupational therapist the way that he is feeling about the support aids that he is been provided with and therefore
without the occupational therapist knowing he is struggling with them he may continue to struggle helplessly. One
way that Ron can be supported to overcome this challenge is if he is encouraged to ask people to repeat things if he
does not understand or if things are not clear to him; Ron could also be provided with extra support at his speech
therapy sessions, this could help feel more comfortable in his speech lessons and make him more able to ask
questions if he is ever struggling. Another way that Ron can be supported within his communication challenges is
that if he is encouraged to contact friends virtually as he will find this easier because he can type, in this way Ron
will be more able to communicate how is feeling and more able to ask for help, so as well as this supporting his
communication abilities it will also help him to become more motivated and in the process help him be less
depressed and isolated.
Furthermore, another challenge that Ron is facing is practical challenges, for example he suffers very occasionally
with epileptic seizures (fits), Ron has been suffering with epilepsy prior to his stroke but by having stroke it has
increased the risk rate of his epilepsy this is quite common in individuals who have suffered from brain injuries such
as bleed on the brains that are caused from intracranial haemorrhages. Epileptic seizures are quite dangerous and
may have a negative impact on his rehabilitation, as they can cause an increase of injuries due to constant falls and
because R lives alone in his own home, it can cause an increased risk factor because it can make him prone to being
in a situation where he is unable to seek help, and due to this he may be left unaided when he is having an epileptic
seizure just like he was left un found and unaided for 48hrs after he had a stroke. Epileptic seizures also cause
increased psychological issues such as depression, anxiety, and suicidal tendencies. This along with dealing with the
aftermath of having a stroke may be the reason for R’s depression. The occasional epileptic seizures that Ron is
challenged with are mostly controlled by medication, but due to his physical state and communication challenges he
is unable to collect the medication without support so needs the assistance of his family member of close friends,
Ron gets 4 visits a day from care workers they help him to collect the medication that he needs to control his
, epileptic seizures. One way that this particular physical challenge could be overcome is for care workers and family
and close friends that are present during his seizures to monitor and record the length of time that his seizures last, or
call an ambulance if the seizures last above 5 minutes, they should also immediately move anything surrounding that
may cause harm during the seizure and place him in the recovery position when the seizure is finished, this will
ensure Ron’s safety. Moreover, another physical challenge that Ron has is that he is very unsteady when transferring
his weight from the bed to his chair and vice versa, this can be a great struggle for him, and he is encouraged to use
the support equipment that is provided to him by the occupational therapist, this is also a problem because he does
not want to use the equipment because he thinks that the equipment makes him feel like an old person, on way the
challenge can be overcome is if the occupational therapist explain how beneficial the support aids are to his
Rehabilition and also make him clearly understand that the support aids that are provided to him are not only for the
old people but for all who needs it. Despite his physical challenges R onrefuses to wear a lifeline so this puts him in
more danger and increase the risk factor of his physical challenges as they make him more prone to not seeking the
help that he needs, so in order to make Ron’s physical challenges much more barrable he needs to be encouraged to
get and wear a lifeline, service providers such as Ron’s occupational therapist and care worker as well as his close
family and friends need to talk about how important it is for him to get a lifeline and how it will help him with his
recovery and condition.
In addition to this Ron has the physical challenge of mobillisation meaning he finds it quite difficult to move around
his flat and he is not very steady when he is walking or when he is completing household tasks. He has been
encouraged to use a frame which is one of the many support aids that has been supplied to him by his occupational
therapist, however he does not tend to use them due to the fact that he feels that these sorts of support aids are more
suited to the older service users than him this is likewise with his wheelchair, he does not like to use that support aid
either because he is embarrassed to be seen in it. These support aids have been planned out and provided by Ron’s
occupational therapist and they are necessary for Ron’s rehabilitation, I f he does not use them when he needs them
he could make his condition worse and cause himself to get injuries such as falling over at home or falling over
outside, especially due to the fact that he does not have a lifeline he should use the frames and the wheelchair that he
has been provided with because if doesn’t and he takes a fall then he will not have the ability to signal for help. One
way in which this particular challenge could be overcome is if Ron is encouraged to keep active and moving, and
again likewise with the other support aids that have been provided, Ron’s family and close friends and occupational
therapist need to encourage him to use the frames and wheelchair and make sure that he is understanding the dangers
that he is putting himself in by not using them.
Jonathon MacDonald, who is better known as Jonny is a 93-year-old male he has been sent to hospital care due to a
fall he had at home, and he has been diagnosed with heart failure and stage 3 renal failure he also has high blood
pressure which is currently controlled by his medication. Jonny has been referred to a care home because he is no
longer capable of caring for and looking after his own needs, the staff at the care home help him with his personal
care, this includes taking his medication on time, help with drinking and eating and preparing his meals. Due to
Jonnys current state, he faces many daily challenges, for example a practical challenge that Jonny is facing is, he is
finding it quite difficult to keep a steady balance while standing up this is due to his worsening arthritis condition,
which initial has weakened the strength of his bones and ligaments causing him to be unable to hold himself in a
upright posture for long periods of time; Jonny has been provided with a walking frame by his health team but he
doesn’t get must usage out of it as he prefers to use his walking stick. This practical challenge may be daunting for
Jonny as he is used to playing bowls, but due to this practical challenge he is scared to play because he does not
want to fall. Although Jonny is scared to play bowls because he has mobility issues he should still be encouraged to
play as this will help him keep his independence and help him to stay active and fit with will indefinitely have a
positive effect of his arthritis, he should also be encouraged to use his frame as this is a much more stable
accessibility feature than his walking stick and will provide him with more comfort and place less pressure on his
bones. Encouragement to take part in slow sensible activities is a great form of exercise, Jonny is a retired local
government officer and he loves sports including bowls, cricket, and football, despite the fact that playing these
sports may come as a difficulty, Jonny should be encouraged by his care workers to attend village hall and maybe
talk about his sporting favourites more, he could also be encouraged to watch games in relation to his favourite
sports, Jonnys next door Neighbour is a keen football player and comes round regularly and watches games with
