Activities provided by NTL for effective HSC service
North Tyneside Living or the NTL is a housing tenant service that provides effective integrated “Health and Social care or HSC” to older and adult individuals. The service offers special care and service to older individuals (housinglin.org.uk 2022). It has been shown that the government of the UK has provided special care and attention towards the HSC management for older adults (McGilton et al. 2018). The focus has been provided on the “North East of England” where different organizations such as NTL provide proper service by maintaining different HSC policies. This includes “Health and social care act 2012”, “care act 2014”, “Local Government Act, 2015”, “National health service England, 2016”, “National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE), 2016” etcetera (housinglin.org.uk 2022). The present report aims to demonstrate NTL’s activities in providing effective HSC service to older individuals. The report also explains different ways in which NTL has failed to meet the HSC expectations and demonstrates a specific “Health Belief Model” to validate the findings.
NTL is an effective organization that not only takes care of the HSC needs of older individuals but also assesses the needs of general health deterioration and incidents of falling. The organization has effectively maintained the guidelines of NICE and has provided effective “multifactorial interventions” to reduce the risk of falling and prevent unwanted incidents and injuries (Webkamigad et al. 2020). NTL has created a specific program known as the “Healthy Living Programme”. This program effectively addresses some major issues for the fall of older individuals. The programme effectively addresses three key issues such as “healthy living”, “balance” “gait programme”. The programme has been conducted for over a period of six weeks and in this time, six different sessions have been provided which constituents approximately 120 minutes for each session (housinglin.org.uk 2022). The organization has provided effective “educational sessions” and “exercise sessions” to ensure that all the participants have adequate knowledge of different “Educational elements” that ensures effective HSC interventions (Khanuja et al. 2018). Six interventions had been undertaken during these sessions. This includes, “fall prevention and effective exercise”, “analysis of different environmental hazards”, “medications”, “effective nutritional food consumption”, “vision care” and proper footwear and effective foot care”. Different methodology has been applied for the interventions such as “Homefast”, “Tinetti assessment of balance”, “Tinetti assessment of gait”, “HADS”, and “FES-I”. This methodology has helped in understanding the importance of HSC interventions (housinglin.org.uk 2022).
NTL is known for the effective maintenance of NICE guidelines. The NICE guidelines have stated that effective multifactorial interventions should be provided to individuals that have a high risk of falling. Older individuals fall under this category and hence require proper care and attention (Sherrington et al. 2020). The NICE guidelines have shown positive encouragement in different programs that promote “fall prevention”. Another HSC standard that is followed by NTL is the standard of Age UK which is one of the leading “charity houses” that takes care of the needs and wellbeing of older individuals. According to the HSC standards of Age UK, to provide effective HSC intervention, the main risk factors that can contribute to “fall prevention” should be identified (Kyrdalen et al. 2019).
Maintenance of NICE guidelines by NTL
Figure 1: HSC standards of AGE UK
(Source: Created by the author)
The above figure shows the different HSC standards of Age UK that are maintained by NTL. This includes “strength”, “balance”, “effective muscle power”, “proper endurance”, “proper joint flexibility”, “effective coordination”, and proper “reaction time”. Other legislation and policies that are maintained by NTL are “The Health and Social care act of 2012”, “Care act of 2014”, and “The NHSE act of 2016”. These acts help in maintaining the well-being of older individuals through effective “prevention” and “early interventions’ ‘ of HSC standards. Effective policies and regulations help NTL in meeting its aim of maintaining the proper well-being of older individuals (Guirguis-Blake et al. 2018). NTL has created “Healthy living scores” to observe the effect on older people’s life before and after the interventions. The organization has selectively addressed the key issues that help in maintaining proper HSC standards. Moreover, the score analysis of NTL has been done to validate the HSC policies of Age UK and Health and Social Care acts (housinglin.org.uk 2022). The scores help in understanding the impact of “interventions” and “preventions” in maintaining a healthy and quality life.
It can be stated from the mean score analysis of the “Healthy Living Programme” of NTL that the “Tinetti Gait scores” have remained the same even after the intervention. This proves that the organization has failed to meet the HSC criteria of “balance”.
Figure 2: Scores of Healthy Living program of NTL
(Source: Learning Materials)
A score of 9 suggests that the organization has failed in improving the balance of older individuals which is required for maintaining proper balance. Moreover, NTL has effectively maintained the NICE guidelines which were required for maintaining adequate wellbeing. However, the NICE guidelines have stated that individuals that are being treated with “multifactorial interventions” should be treated with adequate care and the health management programs should have “intensity”, “should be progressive” and individuals should practice it regularly. The low score of “Balance” proves that these HSC practices have not been maintained appropriately and this has affected the overall health and wellbeing of older individuals.
Effective “Fall prevention and in-home safety assessment” is an efficient HSC standard practice that requires an “Occupational therapist” who can effectively analyze the key skills and health hazards that might create an obstacle to the wellbeing of older individuals. The healthy living program of NTL includes a session on “environmental hazards”. However, this session fails to address the daily life hazards that might influence the fall of older individuals. Therefore, NTL fails here to meet the HSC standard.
A “Health Belief Model” or HBM is an effective tool that helps researchers in analyzing the effective “health behaviour” of individuals that changes due to their “health perceptions” (Ren and Peng 2019). This model is effective in determining the change in healthcare habits that are undertaken by older individuals to improve their health and wellbeing (Grossman et al. 2018). The “healthy living program” by the NTL has effectively provided good healthcare habits and exercises that help older individuals in “fall prevention” and effective health hazard analysis”. The HBM model helps in understanding the impact of intervention programs by NTL on behavioural changes of older individuals.
Maintaining HSC standards of Age UK
Figure 3: HBM for NTL older individuals
(Source: Created by the author)
This describes the risk avoidance mentality of individuals in order to maintain their health and wellbeing (Stanmore et al. 2019). In the present case study, the NTL model has aimed to prevent the “fall of older adults” and to achieve this, the organization has implemented methodologies such as “Tinetti gait score” and “Tinetti balance scores”. The scores describe that the participants have a high amount of “perceived severity”.
This describes the belief system of individuals that determines their willingness to behavioural change (Hopewell et al. 2020). As the rate of falling and accidents are high in older individuals it can be stated that they have a high rate of “perceived susceptibility”. Moreover, the healthy living scores have proved that the individuals have a high “Falls efficacy scale score” before the NTL intervention. This again supports that the individuals have a high score of “perceived susceptibility”.
This describes the effective benefits that can be achieved by individuals and their effect on their behavioural changes (Gordon et al. 2018). The mean scores after the intervention of NTL suggest that older individuals have effectively adapted their behavioural changes due to the increased health benefits such as “improved strength”, “better balance management”, and “reduced rate of anxiety and depression” etcetera.
This indicates the willingness to behavioural changes of individuals after addressing the barriers (Joy et al. 2020). The implementation of a “cost-effective and sustainable program” indicates that individuals would be more willing to adopt the behavioural change due to the presence of “volunteer exercise champions” and “walk leaders ‘.
The lower mean score after the HSC intervention suggests that older individuals are more likely to adapt to these health-improving behavioural changes and this raises the score of “Cues to action”.
After the health intervention model and effective educational practices, it can be stated that individuals are more likely to implement the exercises and behavioral changing practices. This can be done to improve their lifestyle without the help of NTL volunteers.
NTL has effectively addressed the health issues of older individuals that provide restrictions on their wellbeing. The risk of falls and associated injuries has always become a burden against effective HSC service. However, the organizations should focus on improving their “Fall prevention and in-home safety assessment” to address the environmental and health hazards that affect the well-being of older individuals. NTL should also provide coordinated guidance to older individuals in educating them about the need for risk prevention and its effect on their wellbeing. This way NTL can maintain effective HSC practices and also can meet the standard of “Health and Social care legislation”.
Conclusion
Therefore, from the above discussions, it can be stated that the NTL has implemented effective “early prevention” and effective intervention plans. This has been done to improve the well-being of older individuals by reducing the tendency of falls and accidents through effective fall prevention activities. The HBM models have proved that this intervention has effectively improved the well-being of older individuals through effective behavioural changes.
References
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