comment: Activities of Daily Living ADLs and Hodges' model [1]

Guy Dewsbury got in touch through LinkedIn in response to the ADL post [1]:

On 12/01/09 6:49 AM, Guy Dewsbury wrote:
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Hi Peter
Really like your post on ADLs, but it seems that ADLs whenever they are used omit the need of the person in preference to the risk associated with them. I am sure you would agree, that is why I tend to pay a passing nod to ADLs but instead concentrate on what the person actually wants and aspires to and see how this can be achieved.

I wonder what your take on this is. I would have thought that aspiration and need are critical in mental health as well, in fact I would posit that by concentrating on ADLs it is easier to omit looking beyond them to the real needs of the person.
Over to you..
Guy

On 12/01/09, Peter Jones wrote:
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Hi Guy
Thanks for your comments and feedback. I quite agree - in a way that's what the blog post is saying. If you look at the basic ADLs they are 'placed' or associated with the sciences - processes - physical tasks. That's why I highlighted some of the psychological aspects in the intra-interpersonal domain.

For example, in future posts I may add the way that there are a lot of people with quite chronic respiratory problems, but they carry on as their behaviour has modified such that they know they can no longer run for the bus. Although an assessment of respiration may reveal their (medical) problem their needs are elsewhere.

Perhaps - if you don't mind - I could post your reply and my note above on the blog as a follow-up - since the comments are disabled.

Cheers Guy appreciate your getting in touch.
Peter J.

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Guy Dewsbury has sent you a message.
Date: 12/02/2009
Hi Peter
Happy for you to post anything you want.
Great reply too
Guy

Image source: Running for the bus - Jess and James

Activities of Daily Living ADLs and Hodges' model [1]

The Hodges' model matrix below lists some basic Activities of Daily Living. The intention is to read the table as per the numbers. In 1. - the sciences domain - is a list of basic ADLs, this represents my classification of 'where' these ADLs live within Hodges' model. This is followed by a qualification in the intra-interpersonal domain 2.:

2. While basic ADLs are typically designated as 'functional', that is related to physical abilities they are of course also very dependent upon mental health status. Including: mood, motivation, memory, orientation, confusion. Many ADLs are closely associated with disease and illness, which affects people's independence.	1. personal hygiene dressing - undressing eating and drinking toilet: (urinary and faecal) elimination (often taken for granted) transfers: e.g. bed to chair and back degree of mobility (sitting - standing balance)
4. We can appreciate the impact of the carer's burden by arriving here finally. The sciences, interpersonal and political domains weigh heaviest here, as the carer assumes responsbility for the care of another, themselves and often other dependents.	3. Assessment of ADLs covers aspects of safety and risk to SELF, OTHERS and risk of SELF-NEGLECT. Increasingly, however the emphasis is on self-care, independent living and strengths in the above ADL skills.

In further blog posts I will present a similar treatment of other ADLs with references.

Link:
"Activities of Daily Living Evaluation." Encyclopedia of Nursing & Allied Health. Ed. Kristine Krapp. Gale Cengage, 2002. eNotes.com. 2006. 30 Nov, 2009 http://www.enotes.com/nursing-encyclopedia/activities-daily-living-evaluation

Independence and Quality of Later Life: A decade of research to support older people 14th May

The next KT-EQUAL event for all-comers is on 14th May in Bath.

It will showcase the outcomes of a decade of research to support older people and disabled people, especially:


- improving accessibility to the world outside of the home:
streets, neighbourhoods, parks, transport systems
the very spaces and places that many older people look forward to visiting.

- the better design of everyday products and packaging:
products which are not stigmatised as being for older or disabled people but are mainstream products, which are enjoyed by everyone.

- using new technology to support individuals in the self-management of chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart conditions, and the effects of stroke:
Can these technologies be easy to use and unobtrusive? Do they really they boost health, activity, confidence and well-being?

As well as presenting some of latest findings and developments, the workshop will also be looking to the future, especially at how researchers are coming together to make certain that older people benefit from the best of British Science by getting their findings into policy and practice.

The event is free and is open to anyone with an interest in improving the quality of later life - professionals from all sectors, policy makers, representatives of charities and voluntary bodies, older people and their carers, as well as researchers. It is being held in the centre of Bath so is easy to reach from the railway station. Bath in May can be idyllic!

Full details can be found on the SPARC website. Please be sure to register soon via the registration page.

Best wishes

Peter Lansley

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Professor Peter Lansley, BSc, MSc, PhD, MCIOB, FCOT
Director, KT-EQUAL – Knowledge Transfer for Extending Quality Life
School of Construction Management and Engineering, URS Building,
University of Reading, Whiteknights, PO Box 219, Reading, RG6 6AW, UK
p.r.lansley at reading.ac.uk www.sparc.ac.uk
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
My source SPARC mailing list

The Times: Virus clue to cause of Alzheimer’s

From The Times
December 6, 2008

Virus clue to cause of Alzheimer’s

Cheap cold sore drugs could offer best treatment yet


Mark Henderson, Science Editor

The virus that causes cold sores may be one of the main causes of Alzheimer’s disease, according to research that suggests that existing drugs could be used to treat the most common form of dementia.

Compelling new evidence found by British scientists has implicated the cold sore virus, known as herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV1), in up to 60 per cent of Alzheimer’s cases.

Though the findings from the University of Manchester remain preliminary, they could transform scientific understanding of a brain disorder that affects more than 400,000 people in Britain, and open an entirely new approach to treating it.

...

Full article