Discussion 3 6087 - Book Report/Review Example

Relevance of factors Disability is a major setback to the day to day activities but some may argue that disability is notinability. That argument bears some truth but, for the ability to grow or to be learnt there is a need for special teaching, which may prove to be hectic. The degree of disability varies from an individual patient to another but; they all need to be assisted to manage their day to day activities. When a person’s agrees to take care of a disabled person, he/she should be devoted to the mission and should show a high level of patience.

The amount of resources and time allocated to the disabled persons needs may have some significance to the caregiver especially the lifestyle and mental health. Many caregivers are found to suffer from social isolation since they spend much time with the disabled person that they lose touch with their everyday life .Some of my life experiences on the effect of taking care of a disabled person are based on lifestyle and mental health. When taking care of a patient with a disability, the lifestyle of the patient is not the only one which changes but also the lifestyle of the caregiver.

As a caregiver, you stop being self-centered and you give all your attention and resources to the disabled person. For instance, these people with disability need specialized care, e.g. physiotherapy and, before you acquire this specialized care you will part with a lot of money which in most cases will result to some of your savings ending and a change in lifestyle. When this takes happens, one will not be in an easy position to continue with your normal lifestyle because you will not have spare money to spend on leisure according to the way your lifestyle used to be before you started taking care of the disabled person.

While taking care of a disabled person, the patient will need to be watched around the clock, this has an effect on the caregiver because he/she will not have the time to do his/her own personal activities, therefore, in some way this has an adverse effect on the lifestyle the caregiver was used to. Also, a disabled person may need to eat certain kinds of meal, be it balanced or nutritional or both, while acquiring these foods, these foods are hard to get especially with this economic hard times, it is also difficult to put a balanced diet for the table especially, the exotic ones recommended by the doctor in charge of your patient.

When taking care of a disabled person, you have to assist him/her to do all his/her daily routines and failure to do so might result to health complications, these include, maintaining the patient’s personal hygiene which include giving him/her a bath, brushing the teeth , feeding and even toilet usage. You will also have to give the disabled person some exercises, through regular walks, also when the patient wants something you will have to give it to the patient such as the need for sunshine and fresh air.

A caregiver’s lifestyle will be affected in a way that, if you used to drink alcohol, smoke or abuse drugs, you will now be unable to do those things because, they will affect the disabled person health wise and even render you unreliable and unproductive incase the disabled person needs your assistance.The care given to a person with a disability has a mental health effect on the caregiver. For instance, when your funds are depleted, and the disabled persons care needs more money, a caregiver may find him/herself stressed and disillusioned because, he/she will not be in a position to support the patient him/herself.

Most caregivers are normally overwhelmed by how expensive it is to give a person with disability a better quality of life; some of them end up depressed or even become a psychiatric case. Many of the caregivers are known to have abandoned the disabled person, especially if they are not able to give the disabled person a proper life or even go through the trauma. Some of the caregivers end up being unproductive at work, because of the trouble of balancing between caregiving to the disabled person and working, this is because the care given to a disabled person has some mental effect to the caregiver thus reducing his/her productivity at work.

Works citedReinhard, Susan C., and Allan V. Horwitz. "Caregiver Burden: Differentiating the Content and Consequences of Family Caregiving." Journal of Marriage and Family 57.3 (1995): 741-50. Print.Spector J, and Tampi R. "Caregiver Depression. Ann Long-Term Care." Clin Care Aging 13 (2005): 34–40. Print.Wilson, K. "Treatment Accessibility for Physically and Mentally Handicapped People-a Review of the Literature." Comm dent health 9 (1992): 187- 92. Print.