Physical disability: types and available homecare services in the UK
Disability can happen at any age following an illness, injury, or genetic condition. The effect of a physical disability can vary, as some may have a minimal effect while others may completely alter a person's life. Generally, a physical disability is a condition that affects a person's flexibility, physical capacity, or endurance and can be caused by a traumatic event or inherited through genes. According to the Family Resources Survey (2021–2022), there are 16 million individuals with disabilities in the UK.
In this article, we will be looking into what a physical disability is, its various types, and how to care for someone at home in the UK.
What is a physical disability?
A physical disability is a long-term condition that impacts specific body parts and impairs or limits their functionality, mobility, strength, or dexterity. A physical disability prevents an individual from performing a particular task or makes daily activities challenging. Access to substantial and long-term care services allows people with physical disabilities to lead independent and fulfilling lives. Physical disability impairs muscle control and causes difficulty performing body movements such as standing, sitting, walking, and moving arms or hands. Furthermore, these conditions can involve pain, fatigue, and seizures. In their more progressive stages, individuals with physical disorders will likely need complete care to cope with the challenges of everyday life.
The impact of physical disability can make a person often feel isolated, trapped in their own homes, or that their home is no longer their own as care staff and a variety of aids and adaptations to their home become both intrusive and unwanted. Carers must be mindful of the individual's privacy and provide them with the assistance they need to carry out their daily activities.
What causes a physical disability?
Below are some of the most common causes of physical disability:
1. Congenital disability: A disorder that is present from a person's birth.
2. Acquired injury: These disorders are acquired over the course of life, such as accident-related injuries or illness-related disability issues.
3. Perinatal causes: These disorders are linked to the pregnancy and childbirth processes.
Types of physical disabilities:
Various physical disabilities distinctively affect an individual. Physical disabilities are categorised into groups, which are as follows:
1. Musculoskeletal disability:
Musculoskeletal disability attacks the person's muscles, joints, and bones, causing muscle weakness and limb deformity. This leads to weakened control over the muscles and an inability to perform movements in different body parts. Common examples of musculoskeletal disabilities include osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, low back injuries, muscle strains, tendinitis, and carpal tunnel syndrome. As per records, over 20% of people in the UK visit doctors because of a problem related to this.
2. Neuromusculoskeletal disability:
Neuromusculoskeletal disorders attack the nerves responsible for transmitting sensory information to the brain and controlling voluntary muscle movement. This disorder prevents the movement of a particular body part due to diseases, degeneration, or disorders of the nervous system. Common conditions in this group of disabilities include spina bifida, spinal cord injuries, head injuries, cerebral palsy, stroke, and poliomyelitis.
3. Sensory impairment:
Sensory impairment refers to neurological conditions that interfere with the processing of sensory information in the human brain, including vision, hearing, taste, touch, and scent. This impairment causes a lack of input from one or more sensory resources. People living with sensory impairments will require complex care from trained carers to achieve integration in many areas of daily life. Common sensory impairments include blindness, deafness, sensory processing disorder, and reduced spatial awareness.
Other common types of physical disabilities
The most common forms of physical disability affect the person's ability to perform movements and cause impairments in the function of various body parts. In general, these are the most common disabilities that can occur in children, young adults, and older people:
1. Acquired brain injuries: This includes all types of damage to the brain that occurs due to a traumatic blow or an illness after birth, such as infection, stroke, accidents, tumours, neurological diseases, or a lack of oxygen.
2. Arthritis: An umbrella term for hundreds of conditions that cause swelling or inflammation in one or multiple joints in different body parts. It can be felt on various parts of the body, such as the back, neck, hips, knees, or feet.
3. Cerebral palsy: It is caused by an injury to the developing brain before or during birth or by a reduced blood supply and lack of oxygen to the brain.
4. Cystic fibrosis: It is an inherited genetic condition concerning the respiratory, digestive, and reproductive systems. It affects the body's mucus and sweat glands, causing mucus to become thick and obstruct the lungs' airways.
5. Multiple sclerosis (MS): It is a potentially disabling condition that affects the brain and spinal cord. Multiple sclerosis causes abnormalities in the central nervous system, which result in a variety of symptoms like fatigue, numbness, tingling, muscle spasms, vision issues, and impaired mobility.
6. Spine bifida: A lifelong neural tube disorder that occurs when the spine and spinal cord don't complete formation in utero. It can expose the spinal cord and nerves on the surface of the back, as opposed to being encased within the bone and surrounded by muscle.
7. Spinal code injuries: This occurs when too much pressure is applied to the spinal cord, damaging the nerves or cutting off the supply of blood and oxygen. Numerous spinal cord injuries cause a loss of function, such as mobility or sensation.
Treatment and support for people with physical disabilities in the UK
Living with a physical disability or motor movement disorder can be an isolating and challenging ordeal. With complex homecare services, people with disabilities may achieve their full potential while staying in the familiarity of their homes with their families.
To maintain independence at home and live well in the community, a support plan needs to be established after assessing the severity to determine the type of homecare required in the UK. Some individuals need assistance from a specialist or a primary care physician, while in certain cases, a complete team of care experts needs to be implemented while providing homecare in the UK. Physical disability, in some cases, can also affect the mental health of a person, so they need to be included in the team.
If your loved one is diagnosed with a physical disability in the UK, they are entitled to specialist care with the help of an expert team of homecare staff.
Importance of physical disability care at home
People have different interests and aspirations, which need to be recognised. The strengths and abilities of the person need to be assessed initially so that carers can support them in achieving personal goals. In the UK, homecare services help disabled people maintain their independence at home while being provided with care.
Nurses Group Homecare UK helps physically disabled individuals achieve their goals by creating a care plan that identifies their needs and preferences. Our staff assists individuals with a variety of daily activities, including personal care and adherence to routines.