What is
Independence?
Unfortunately
it is one of those words that means different things to different people, it is
not easily definable. If you quickly ask a dozen or so people what the word
independence means I am sure you will get a series of similar, but never quite
the same.
A quick
Google search of the term independent and we get;
1. Free from outside control; not subject
to another’s authority
2. Not depending on another for livelihood
or subsistence
Yet
neither of these terms can really be applied to social care, can they?
Naturally
effective social care depends on those who need care services providing the
right level of support to help them to live life as fully as possible but, as a
result those who need social care depend on others (i.e. carers, care workers
etc.) to provide that livelihood and subsistence and, at the same time, that
support is subject to local social services authority about the level of
support provided.
So how do
we define independence in relation to social care provision?
As the
term itself is dependent on each persons’ interpretation of it, it becomes ever
more important to understand the individuals needs and how they view what
independence means to them. One person
may view support at home as a means to help them live independently while
another may consider it interference and a threat to independence yet both may
be in equal need of support and at risk from the same sort of issues (e.g.
falls). Obviously we declare that individuals have the right to take risks, as
long as they have the capacity to judge those risks, yet such individualism
presents problems for local authorities and health services that have a duty to
safeguard the vulnerable.
This can,
inevitably, lead to a situation where local authorities and health services
then decide what independence means in their world. So, in other words, we
become dependent on another’s authority about what independence means for us!
Real
independence is entirely individualistic. For example independence may mean
being able to do whatever you wish at any time yet giving a person minimum
social care support at home may actually inhibit that freedom, they may become
house bound and isolated rather than having the support they need to get out
and live the life they wish conversely, for some, too much support may seem
restrictive and intrusive to them again inhibiting their own sense of
independence and freedom.
So if we are
to succeed in truly providing independence to those who need social care
services the first question always must be “What does independence mean to you?”
followed by “How can we help you to live the independent life you want?”
Obviously
there are restrictions on what public services can actually do yet those
restrictions should not halt those first two questions. After those two
questions co-production (I still do not like that terminology!) can begin as
you work toward a support package that brings the best possible independence to
the individual, an independence that helps them live the life they want.
