Strategies for Discrimination in Adult Community Care

Strategies for Discrimination in Adult Community Care Identify and reflect on potential strategies for addressing oppression  and unfair discrimination encountered in community care for adults. Examine the implications of this process for a social worker value base. The Audit Commission report of 1986 and the Griffiths report 1988 emphasised the need for care to become consumer-led; traditionally state run services were quickly contracted out to private and voluntary sector providers. Value-for-money became key, and community care became the favoured option over and above residential care (Blakemore, 2003). Some argued that social work values became secondary to resource-led decision-making (Banks, 1995). Negative discrimination can be defined as the attribution of negative traits or features with regard to an individual, or a group of people (Thompson 2003). Generally negative discrimination relates to social and biological constructs and can be based upon a multitude of characteristics, such as gender, race, sexual orientation, disability, class, age and so on. Negative discrimination creates situations that can lead to oppressive practices, which is defined by Thompson (2001) as: â€Å"Inhuman or degrading treatment of individuals or groups; hardship and injustice brought about by one group or another; the negative and demeaning exercise of power† (pg 34) The core principle of the NHS Community Care Act 1990 was to give people the choice, where possible, being cared for in their own home (Blackmore, 2003), and the social care field was opened to market forces; services users became consumers. However, the purchasing power of service users is disparate, dependant upon social, economic and individual variables. Adults partaking in community care are particularly vulnerable to oppression where there is an imbalance in the distribution of financial or other material resources; economic status can create real disparities in the standard of care received. Service users will often find their financial resources are controlled by their carers, placing the carer in a powerful position and disempowering the service user. This can be countered by being very open with the service user and avoiding â€Å"closed† decision-making and mystery (Topps, 2001). The service user should be involved at all levels of decision-making regarding resourc es. The Community Care (Direct Payments) Act 1996 is encouraging as it allows local authorities to make direct payments to service users, enabling them to arrange and pay for their own care package. This is a positive step forward in empowering community care service users. It is also important for practitioners and carers to consider their use of language and its potential effects. Dehumanizing and medicalised language can result in a loss of esteem and a sense of disempowerment for the any service user, particularly those with intellectual impairments who maybe less able to understand medical terms. This can be prevented by avoiding jargon and providing lots of opportunities for questions and open discussion. Carers and social services staff should continually check themselves for use of infantilising language and ensure they engage in mature, adult discourse with service users. An example of dehumanizing language that is still used regularly in care setting is the term â€Å"manual handling†. Many physically impaired service users have reported this term as degrading (Elder-Woodward, 2001), as the implication is that the person is an object to be handled. The term â€Å"moving and assisting† is more widely accepted now. We should also consider the power that is implied through the assumption that â€Å"professionals† have superior medical knowledge, skills and expertise in relation to the community care service user. Often, care plans are based upon the medical model; the impairment is seen as the problem and the service users dependence is emphasized (Adams et al, 2002). Thompson (2001) says social work should take a â€Å"demedicalised† stance and look past the pathology, utilizing the social model of disability as described by Adams et al (2002). The social model suggests the service users needs should be considered in a much wider context, ensuring their social and mental health are given equal consideration to their medical needs. Viewing societal constraints as the problem, and not the individual, creates the frame of mind to consider how to remove barriers to mainstream social, political and economic life. Social workers should liase with service users and look towards a solutio n-focused (not impairment-focused) care plan whereby barriers are identified and solutions sought collaboratively, utilizing strengths. Social workers are trained to critically reflect on their practice to ensure they continually monitoring their reactions to, and engagement with, service users. Critically reflective practice is crucial in anti-oppressive and anti-discriminatory work. Until recently, community carers were not trained in such practice and therefore were more likely to repeat oppressive practices over and over as they maybe not be aware of the implicit discriminatory messages of some behaviours. The issue is tackled by new regulations, which require all paid carers to hold an NVQ qualification. The NVQ requires carers to consider issues of discrimination and oppression, and look at significant elements of their own identity. It is important this training is followed up by regular supervision and support (Thompson 2003). Care can be stressful, and it is crucial that steps are taken to minimise pressure, where possible, and for managers/social workers to take the opportunity to debrief with carers as nec essary. The ability to identify and promote non-discriminatory and anti-oppressive practice and procedure is a focal point of the social work value base (Training Organisation for Personal Social Services, 1989). Social workers must maintain awareness of the value base by using a variety of strategies to ensure service users are not discriminated against. The aforementioned strategies mean the social work value base is referred to, and reflected upon on a regular basis; it makes it a working, â€Å"live† document. All of the aforementioned strategies are referred to within the value base as issued raised by service users. Anti-discriminatory and anti-oppressive practices are once again key focus areas for social workers and carers alike. It is encouraging that all workers are required to consider such issues within their training and as part of their value base, and steps are being taken to empower service users by facilitating the co-ordination and funding of their own care package. It remains the case that many care-receivers live with friends/family, who ultimately are in a position of considerable power over the service user, which can lead to oppression and discrimination. References Adams, Robert et al (eds) 2002 Critical Practice in Social Work. Basingstoke, Palgrave. Banks, S (1995) Ethics and Values in Social Work. Macmillan Press LTD, London Blackmore, k (2003) Social Policy: An Introduction. 2nd Ed. Buckingham, Open University Press Elder-Woodward, J (2001) Making Sense of Community Care Recent Initiatives: A service users perspective; or, Farewell to Welfare The perspective of  an ungrateful bastard. Retrieved 16th August 2005 from: http://www.leeds.ac.uk/disability-studies/archiveuk/elderwood/CCPS paper3 (Times12).pdf Thompson, Neil (2001) Anti-discriminatory Practice 3rd Ed. Basingstoke, Palgrave. Thompson, Neil (2003) Promoting Equality: Challenging Discrimination and Oppression 2nd Ed. New York, Palgrave Training Organisation for Personal Social Services (2001) National Occupational Standards for Social Work. Topps, Leeds

Itt Tech Comp. Ii Final Paper

Course Project Submission The Legalization of Marijuana J. Doe ITT Technical Institute March 7, 2013 Composition II Dr. Sue Introduction Marijuana should be legalized. That is the decision everyone in our group has come to. We believe the pros of marijuana use greatly outnumber the cons, and that the government needs to realize that. Defending either side of this argument is actually quite difficult. Any studies that you may find can be disproven by studies performed from the opposition and vice versa. Still, we have not found anything that has even came close to changing our opinions.Medical Use Many studies have been performed that prove marijuana can help with the treatment of many types of cancers. Metastasis is when cancer cells spread from one part of the body to another (Mandal, n. d. , What is Metastasis). Scientists at California Pacific Medical Center have found a compound in marijuana that can actually stop metastasis. This compound is called Cannabidiol. They learned this first by testing the compound on animals that had cancer and have proven that it works. They are now waiting on approval to begin human testing (Wilkey, 2012, Marijuana and Cancer).It can also be used to replace many pain pills that damage our kidneys and cause major addictions. Studies show that smoking marijuana can help lessen nerve pain or pain caused by surgery. â€Å"About 10% to 15% of patients attending a chronic pain clinic use cannabis as part of their pain control strategy†(Doheny, 2010, Marijuana Relieves Chronic Pain). Lower Crime Rates In 2011, after legalizing marijuana in California, the juvenile crime rate dropped 20 percent. The number of arrests for violent crimes dropped by 16 percent, homicide went down by 26 percent and drug arrests decreased by nearly 50 percent.In 2010, marijuana possession accounted for 64 percent of all drug arrests, and in 2011, that number decreased to only 46 percent (Sankin, 2012, California Marijuana Decriminalization). Many pe ople believe that drug dispensaries would attract crime. A study has shown that crime actually seems to be much less near the dispensaries then in the areas where dispensaries have been closed. â€Å"On the blocks with closed dispensaries, crime was 60% greater within a three-block radius, and 25% greater within a six-block radius than on the blocks with open dispensaries, according to the study† (Shaw, 2011, Study Show Lower Crime Rate).A Better Economy There are many ways legalizing marijuana can help the economy. Marijuana-related charges would fall significantly, saving US prisons nearly $1 billion annually. Ending prohibition laws against marijuana would save taxpayers $41. 8 billion annually. Marijuana growers in California account for $14 billion a year now that is legalized there. The selling of marijuana illegally is a $38 billion industry which is money our government is missing out on (Bradford, 2012, Boost the Economy). Physical Dangers to UsersThere are many stud ies that show marijuana use can greatly impair a user’s motor skills. They have shown that these impairments lead to a much higher rate of vehicle accidents even though people think being high has nothing to do with it. Studies have also shown that the constant inhalation of smoke, whether it is tobacco or marijuana, can lead to cancer. There has also been a link of marijuana use to psychosis, anxiety, and panic attacks (Lipkis, 2012, Impaired Driving Skills). A Worse Economy Polls show that many people do not believe legalizing marijuana would boost the economy. About a quarter of those polled said legalized pot would lead to more jobs in their communities; 57 percent said there would be no effect. About a third thinks the economy would improve, while 46 percent foresee no impact† (Grisling, 2010, Will NOT Boost Economy). In fact, many people think it will make things worse. This is because while marijuana dispensaries are favored, there are not many people that would invest in them. â€Å"If marijuana was decriminalized, more Americans favor private businesses selling it (54 percent) than the government (36 percent).But just 24 percent said they would be interested in investing in a company that sells pot† (Grisling, 2010, Will NOT Boost Economy). Conclusion The legalization of marijuana is, in our opinion, a good thing. Many people have benefitted from using marijuana even if there are some undesirable side effects. Moderation is something that needs to be applied. Whether it be marijuana or even exercising, too much can hurt you. Recreational use is not what was discussed here. Improving upon the lives we are currently living, through the different applications of marijuana, is what we aimed to point out.

The Struggles of Edgar Allan Poe - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 8 Words: 2252 Downloads: 6 Date added: 2019/07/01 Category Literature Essay Level High school Tags: Edgar Allan Poe Essay Did you like this example? Edgar Allan Poe was a great writer whose very well-known but along the path to success, he had many struggles. A writer is someone who enjoys putting any thought or Idea down on paper and making the story come alive. There are many different types of writing such as persuasive, narrative, and even many kinds of poems. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "The Struggles of Edgar Allan Poe" essay for you Create order There are so many writers around the world today and it all started from the beginning of time. Writing is so important because it has allowed us to keep memories that actually happened in our world. If it were not for writers, then we would not know when and how things started or came to be. Many stories and Poems are also an escape for others. When you start reading a book or poem, it can help you to relate and put yourself in the story. Writing can help you clear the mind and focus on more things in life. When you jot something down, it makes you feel like that thing or feeling in coming from out you onto the paper and is a great resource for yourself to let it all out. That is exactly what Edgar Allan Poe did in his writing. He is well known for his dark and mysterious poems. Edgar Allan Poe went through many things, he was always feeling a little sad or dark and that is what he expressed through his own writing. That is what makes each writer unique. Everyone feels and acts diff erent and if you express your ways through your writing, it will stand out. Edgar Allan Poe was a great writer that is very well known, but the path to success had many complications behind it. The life of Edgar Allan Poe began when he was born on January 19, 1809. As a child, when he was only about three years old, Edgars parents died leaving him to be a Foster child and move to Virginia with John and Francis Allan. Growing up, Edgar went to many great schools as a kid that gave him the best education, which soon led to him attending the University of Virginia. Later, that is when Edgar started to write his own poems. One of his very first poem was Tamerlane. This poem along with another set of collection actually did not receive any recognition for his work sadly. He had many financial problems in his life due to too much gambling and not having support from his parents. He was forced to leave his University and Military because of his financial issues. However, that did not seem to get to Edgar. Later in his life as an Adult, he moved into his aunts house so that he could get back on his feet and away from John and Francis Allan. They did not seem to get along with each other and he knew it was best to move on. He then got married to his own cousin, Virginia who was only thirteen years old which seems somewhat odd but getting married at such a young age for women was very normal back then. Edgar started writing many different kinds of short stories to magazines and became the editor of Southern Literary Messenger. Over the next ten years or so, Edgar started writing some of his best poems that he is now famous for such as, The Fall of the House of Usher, The Tell-Tale Heart, The Murders in the Rue Morgue, and The Raven. Poe soon developed a reputation as a fearless critic who not only attacked an authors work but also insulted the author and the northern literary establishment. Poe targeted some of the most famous writers in the country; one of his victims was the anthologist and editor Rufus Griswold. With his writing growing everywhere, Virginia his wife soon died with a disease which left Edgar feeling very depressed. He loved her very much and he felt as if he could not live without her. Because of her death, he increased his alcohol intake and his life started to go downhill. October 3, 1849 Poe died four days later of acute congestion of the brain. Evidence by medical practitioners who reopened the case has shown that Poe may have been suffering from rabies. Although Edgar Allan Poe has so many struggles with loss of loved ones, not having his real parents, no financial support, and many failures in writing, he ended up being one of Americas very first writers to become a major figure in world literature. He left behind a legacy and proved that doing what you love can be hard and complicated at times, but in the end its worth is and you can be successful. It took him a long time to get himself where he wanted to be. The Raven is one of Edgar Allan Poes most famous poems that he has written. In this poem is talks about the Narrator and a black raven. It starts out with the Narrator sitting in his house reading a book in the middle of the night. When all of a sudden, he hears a knock at the door but no one is there when he opens it. Then he hears a tap on the window and a black raven flies into the room. The Narrator asks the Raven about his dead wife for hopes of seeing her in heaven again. But the only response he gets is Nevermore. This makes the Narrator sad a feeling lonely again because every question and hope he has for him and his wife that he loved so much is still not the answer he is looking for. Back into the dark he goes, he says his wifes name but only gets an echo of her name and that is the end of the poem. The raven, as Poe explains it in The Philosophy of composition, is chosen as a plausible vehicle for the repetition of the refrain-the word nevermore. The bird is thus a figure for mechanical poetic repetition. The purveyor of the burden has to be a bird: the intentional relation to a signified is denied through the nonhuman repetition of a pure signifier. The word nevermore, offered here as the most poetical of words, in fact crops up uncannily in Wordsworths essay too as a distinguishing poetic mark. (Bloom 22) I think the meaning behind this poem is a reflection of Edgars life. Edgar went through the same thing when his wife died. He was very sad and lonely and I think that this poem was a way to express his feelings that he lost hope of ever seeing her again.The second poem Annabele Lee is another well-known poem that talks about a love so deep that it will last forever. Both of the characters that we do not know are very young. The speaker states that they are both children who are kingdom of the sea. Then a big gust of clouds come over Annabele Lee leaving her dead. He believes that the angels did this because they were so jealous of the love he had for Annabele Lee. So then, the relatives come taking her away and putting her in a tombstone, but that does not stop the speaker. Every night he will end up next to her dead body. The speaker also sees Annabel Lee wherever he goes. In the clouds, stars, and daily interactions. The whole poem is showing the reader that their love is inseparab le and that it will last for all eternity. Dreams are reflections of our inmost, often subconscious, feelings; and that literary creations such as Poes are essentially like dreams. (Rein 1) Poe loved to reflect how he felt through his poems and use a combination of a huge imaginative dream. He uses real life scenarios along with something so exaggerated that it makes it much more interesting for the reader to read. Because his wife died from a disease, I feel as if he was putting them in a situation that she was Annabele Lee. The love they had was amazing, and he thinks about her all the time. All of Edgar Allans poems are very interesting and take you into an adventure of his own life. The poem Alone is a great example of how the speaker is feeling or in other words, how he has been feeling his whole life. The title Alone gives away most of the story behind it, but it starts out with him talking about a childhood that was different from everyone else. He experienced things differently and had something different happen to him when he was younger making him sad during his life. He was alone and no one could ever relate to him. No one will deny that he has been the most misunderstood. (Regan 1) Then he goes on to tell us that everything he has ever loved was alone and not what others loved. The poem ends with a mystery that we will never know and a storm that has a blue sky with a demon. The mystery is unknown forever but it could possibly reflect what was making him so sad in his life. To show how different he was, he ended the poem with a clear blue sky and a demon. I thi nk that this could possibly mean he is showed as a happy person with many cheerful people around him but deep inside he was a demon. Something bad happened and he will forever be sad about it. The setting in this poem is all about the natural world. It describes the leaves, autumn, lightning, and many other outside environmental objects. Overall, this poem seems to just be talking about a childhood in the wilderness and being alone, but truly is about how he never felt the same as everyone else around him. The speaker is literally all alone along with a mystery we will never know. In conclusion, Edgar Allan Poe was and still is to this day a famous writer known for his crazy imaginative, depressing, sad, creepy, and dark poems. He had a hard life full of depression, death, and lost love. Through his writing, he was able to express how he felt and who he really was. It was an escape and he was great at doing what he loved. That is why is he is known for his work. I really admire what Edgar Allen Poe did, although it was mostly dark and sad, it described who he was. He wasnt trying to be anybody else but him and he found himself. His writing was very different than anyones out there which is what made Edgar Allan Poe so unique. Poe is a true light, though, merely to make of him an accursed poet, seeking inspiration in alcohol and opium, merely to see in him a being resembling his creations, a bohemian living on the edge of society and finding himself isolated from the America of his time. (Fisher 9) Edgar was always different and he knew this, that is why he is known for his amazing talented writing. Its very different compared to all the writers and he stands out with his feeling of isolation from others. The feelings he felt has helped him to express it through the talent and art work of his own writing and famous poems. All the poems he had were individually crafted and took lots of effort and time to complete. Poe is very successful at what he did and I know for sure that if you do what you love, you can become successful. Just because he was successful, it doesnt mean that he was perfect and didnt have any trials. Throughout his writing and life, he had gone through some terrible times but thats what shaped him into the person he was. As readers of his writing I think that we all can notice how different he was and its amazing. The writing is creative and like nothing else out there. With hard work and determination, anything is possible. Edgar Allan Poe left behind a great lasting legacy that we will never forget. His writing continues to amaze and inspire others from time to time. He taught us that it is okay to feel different and not be like the rest of the crowd. Do what you love and amazing things will happen. Being unique means taking chances and being yourself! Edgar Allan Poe is a great example of this, he took chances, he was himself. Not everyone loved his writing, but he did no t stop doing what he loved. He had fallen many time, but in the end got back up. Writing is very important in our world, it keeps memories that will be known of and last forever. Dont ever stop doing what you love, you may never know what life has in store for you even when it gets really difficult. Edgar Allan Poe was a great writer who became very successful but had many trials along the path to success. Works Cited Percy Bysshe Shelley. Poets.org, Academy of American Poets, 6 Oct. 2015, Poes Biography Edgar Allan Poe Museum, www.poemuseum.org/poes-biography. Bloom, Harold. Blooms Modern Critical views Edgar Allan Poe. Chelsea House Publishers: New York. 2006. Fisher IV, Benjamin. POE AND OUR TIMES: INFLUENCES AND AFFINITIES. Edgar Allan Poe Society. 1986. Regan, Robert. POE A COLLECTION OF CRITICAL ESSAYS. Prentice-Hall: New Jersey. 1967. United States of America. Rein, David. Edgar A. Poe The Inner Pattern. Philosophical Library: New York. 1960. United States of America.