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Sources of support to enable health and social care professionals to provide people with good quality, culturally appropriate information about wider social inclusion
Section five:
- Sources of support to enable health and social care professionals
- Sources of specific information
This section looks at sources of information to enable people affected by neurological conditions to participate as fully as they wish in society generally. This includes information about financial support and employment, social services, adaptations to homes and living environment, transport, leisure, holidays and other related issues. On the whole people will require information that relates to their local situation. For this reason this section links closely with Section Three where the requirements for local information are set out.
Guidance on assuring the quality of information is in section one and guidance on ensuring that information is culturally appropriate is in section three.
When people are diagnosed with a serious long-term condition that will considerably affect their future lives, and which may be life-threatening, it is often assumed that their immediate information needs will be “medical” (What are the treatment options?) rather than “social” (Can I go back to work? Do I tell my employer, Should I move house? How will I support myself financially? Can I get insurance?) There often appears to be an assumption that these questions will arise later on. In fact, work we carried out when developing this toolkit suggests that people are often equally preoccupied with these social, or “wider inclusion” information needs right from diagnosis. It is important, therefore, that health professionals are in a position to signpost people to the information they need at the time they seek it.
Most neurological charities (see the Neurological Alliance's list of organisations) provide a wide range of information developed in response to the needs of their members. Most have information on benefits, sex and relationships, driving, equipment. Some of this will be specific to a condition, but much is more generally applicable to anyone with a neurological, or other long-term, condition or disability.
There are also a number of other sites that provide information on these issues.
Direct Gov has information about employment, financial support, housing and home adaptations, equipment, education and training, rights and obligations, motoring and transport, travel, holidays and breaks, leisure and recreation and caring.
Multi-kulti provides culturally appropriate and accurately translated information on housing, debt, employment, welfare benefits and immigration (see English version for what is covered).
Guidance on assuring the quality of information is in section one and guidance on ensuring that information is culturally appropriate is in section three.
Timing of information on wider social inclusion
When people are diagnosed with a serious long-term condition that will considerably affect their future lives, and which may be life-threatening, it is often assumed that their immediate information needs will be “medical” (What are the treatment options?) rather than “social” (Can I go back to work? Do I tell my employer, Should I move house? How will I support myself financially? Can I get insurance?) There often appears to be an assumption that these questions will arise later on. In fact, work we carried out when developing this toolkit suggests that people are often equally preoccupied with these social, or “wider inclusion” information needs right from diagnosis. It is important, therefore, that health professionals are in a position to signpost people to the information they need at the time they seek it.
General information for wider social inclusion
Most neurological charities (see the Neurological Alliance's list of organisations) provide a wide range of information developed in response to the needs of their members. Most have information on benefits, sex and relationships, driving, equipment. Some of this will be specific to a condition, but much is more generally applicable to anyone with a neurological, or other long-term, condition or disability.
There are also a number of other sites that provide information on these issues.
Direct Gov has information about employment, financial support, housing and home adaptations, equipment, education and training, rights and obligations, motoring and transport, travel, holidays and breaks, leisure and recreation and caring.
Multi-kulti provides culturally appropriate and accurately translated information on housing, debt, employment, welfare benefits and immigration (see English version for what is covered).
