Health and Soical Care Level 3

Storm McGivern

Introductory awareness of sensory loss.

(Task 1)

Understand the factors that impact on an individual with sensory los and steps that can be taken to overcome these.

• Describe how a range of factors have a negative and positive impact on individuals with sensory loss. (1.1)
• Identify steps that can be taken to overcome factors that have a negative impact on individuals with sensory loss. (1.2)
• Explain how individuals with sensory loss can be disabled by attitudes and beliefs. (1.3)
• Identify steps that could be taken to overcome disabling attitudes and beliefs. (1.4)

(Task 2)

Understand the importance of effective communication for individuals with sensory loss.

• Outline what needs to be considered when communicating with individuals with:

• Sight loss
• Hearing loss
• Deaf blindness. (2.1)

• Describe how effective communication may have a positive impact on the lives of individuals with sensory loss. (2.2)
• Explain how information can be made accessible to individuals with sensory loss. (2.3)

(Task 3)

Know the main causes and conditions of sensory loss.

• Outline the main causes of sensory loss. (3.1)
• Explain the difference between congenital and acquired sensory loss. (3.2)
• State what percentage of the general population is likely to have sensory loss. (3.3)

(Task 4)

Know how to recognise when an individual may be experiencing sight and/or hearing loss.

• Outline the indicators and signs of:

• Sight loss
• Hearing loss
• Deaf blindness. (4.1)

• Explain where additional advice and support can be sourced in relation to sensory loss. (4.2)

(Task 5)

Know how to report concerns about sensory loss.

• Describe whom and how concerns about sight and/or hearing loss can be reported. (5.1)

(Task 1)

(1.1)

There are many different facts that can have an impact on people with sensory loss. Communication and awareness play big roles in the impact. They may find it difficult to feed themselves, dressing and mobility. Hobbies and interests can have negative impact on their lives. They may also feel scared and alone due to this. There can be positive factors that can help out the person such as increased help, aids for support and a good support team could give them a brighter outlook on life. Organizations might help the ‘deaf and blind’ with many different aspects of their life to support or to help them find the right kind of support.

Communication can be very difficult to somebody with sight or hearing loss. For sight loss, reading may be difficult, also, facial expressions and body language is missed, or misread, so it could be hard maintaining relationships. Orientation can be affected and people can lose a sense of what is around them and where they are. This can result in a loss of sense of freedom, a loss of security, and a loss of control in their environment. Hearing loss can make face to face communication difficult and can cause people to feel isolated and excluded from conversations.

Positive impact - There are various ways that hearing impaired people can communicate well such as sign language, lip reading, body language and pictures.

• Communication: Being able to share with others what they feel.
• Information: Being able to find out about services.
• Familiar layouts and routines: Being more independent.
• Mobility: Learning new skills and developing confidence.

Negative impact - these methods rely on the cooperation of others example: learning to sign, facing individuals when speaking, speaking clearly, not treating them as any different to someone who can hear or see normally, or finding their disability funny and so on.

• Communication: Feeling frustrated due to not being understood.
• Information: Not being able to make own choices and decisions.
• Familiar layouts and routines: Not feeling confident in own environment.
• Mobility: Not going out for fear of getting lost.

A range of factors – including communication, information, familiar layouts and routines, and mobility – can impact positively and negatively on individuals who have sensory loss.

(1.2)

There are several things that can be done to overcome the negative impact that people with sensory loss experience. Generally, if a person loses one of their senses, the others compensate by heightening. For example, a person who cannot see will have a heightened sense of hearing and smell. Make sure that areas are clear of obstacles that an individual with sight impairment might trip over or bump into, take an individual who has a hearing impairment to a quiet, well lit area to talk, make sure that hearing aids are working or that glasses prescriptions are updated. Challenge any discrimination immediately and explain why it is wrong, model good practice, tell someone who is addressing you rather than the individual to speak directly to them, use posters, leaflets and social activities such as coffee mornings to inform the public.

It’s important to take action and consider the different steps that can be taken to overcome these. The steps that can be taken will depend on the factor that’s impacting negatively on the individual and their preferences.

Ensure you get to know the individual, their needs, wishes and preferences. Ensure support is available. Ensure you make the adaptations, example: working practices, the environment. Ensure you seek advice and information from others.

(1.3)

Societal attitudes and beliefs can impact individuals with sensory loss in quite a negative way because, people in society can be very judgmental towards people with disabilities, and put them in a group of people with below average intelligence and assume they can’t do or think the same way as other people without disabilities can. People in society can also be very prejudice and ignorant and think they are better than people with sensory loss, also thinking it gives them the right to make fun at them and making life difficult in the process. Although, not all people think the same way there are many other people in society that are very open towards individuals with disabilities and sensory loss and can be very helpful and kind, this can have a positive impact on people’s lives. There are a range of factors that societal attitudes and beliefs impact on service provisions, discrimination is one of the biggest problem in today’s society, people with sensory loss are treated differently, and there a lot of barriers that need to be overcome, service provision is a term used to describe a wide range of activities, including the provision of assistive devices, rehabilitation services, occupational therapy and health services.