Disabled Rights

People are more aware now than ever before about the importance of mental health, and over the past 10 years the government has concentrated on improving treatment as well as prevention for this illness.

Once an illness that caused embarrassment, it is now something that we are actively encouraged to talk about as part of the recovery procedure. The figures for those suffering from depression is surprisingly high, with one in six people suffering from depression or anxiety at some point in their life. In fact mental illness accounts for the greatest burden than any other condition.
It has been proven that working is beneficial for those with depression, and the government is now appointing mental health coordinators to work with job centres, to get those people suffering from the illness into jobs.

For those sufferers already in work the government are setting up advice lines, from which small businesses can give their staff direct access to occupational health professionals.
The important message is that those suffering from depression or anxiety should get the help they need to learn to cope with, or even overcome their illness.

We are a society where the over 50’s make up the largest segment of the population. This is because more and more of us are living longer than ever before, but with this longer life comes health problems, one of them being dementia.

Old age will happen to us all, and we hope that when we reach it we will be able to get the help that we need. The worry is that many of us may not! It appears that many hospitals are failing those patients suffering from dementia. In fact hospitals can actually make the condition worse with more than 50% of carers reporting that after a stay in hospital many of their patients came out more confused and agitated than when they went in.

Many nurses in hospitals admit that they have not had the proper training to enable them to deal properly with the needs of those patients suffering from dementia. This illness is terrible for both the patient as well as the family and friends around them so it is vital that the government ensure that our hospitals are able to deal properly with those suffering from the disease.

It is staggering today that some airline companies are still not able to accommodate properly those with disabilities. Jetstar an Australian budget airline have a policy of checking in wheelchairs as baggage. This left Kurt Feanley, a triple paralympic champion having to having to drag himself along the airport floor, in order to board the plane. The airline do offer the alternative of using an airline wheelchair which has to be pushed by an attendant, but for those who are independent, there is no other option than to do what Feanley did.

The airline is now looking into its wheelchair policy and released a statement apologising for Feanley.

It is amazing how some children with special needs often improve their learning with the help of animals. Dolphins are famous for this, known to help autistic children to communicate better with the people around them, but now it seems that dogs could also have the same effect.

Dogs have long been known as man’s best friend, but they can be much more than just a companion and some special needs schools are now using dogs as a way to help children with special needs to learn.

A special needs school in Wales has what is known as a therapy dog called Bertie. The cocker spaniel spends one day out of every week with children who all have severe learning difficulties. Teachers at the school believe that having a dog in the classroom encourages the children to communicate in making their feelings understood.

If this example proves to be a success, we could see more therapy dogs in special needs schools across the country.

At this time of year, many elderly people receive a fuel allowance to help keep them warm over the cold winter months, but the government has now refused to extend this allowance to those who are suffering from cancer.

It seems that cancer sufferers need more help than most during the winter, as chemotherapy treatment leaves patients feeling much colder than those who are fit and healthy. Keeping warm is vital for their recovery, and Macmillan Cancer Support estimate that up to 400,000 patients need urgent help.

The government argue that the disability living allowance already provided to cancer sufferers meets all year round costs and that this is already much more generous than the winter fuel bill allowance.

Those suffering from cancer already have a lot to go through without having to sit in a cold home. In a society where we claim to look after those most in need it seems the government is failing those cancer sufferers who need their help most.