In social and health care, there are many terms and notions that do not necessarily have the same meaning for people in the field as for those outside it. An excellent example of such a term is ‘risk’: for many, it is connected to danger and instability; however, it is not the word’s only connotation. This paper defines the term, explains how features of risk can be positive and negative, and expands on the risk assessment process that practitioners resort to when dealing with vulnerable people.
When it comes to the term ‘risk’, people tend to use it in different ways. For example, ‘risk’ sometimes replaces words like ‘danger’ or ‘hazard’ and means something that might cause harm to a person. However, in social and health care contexts, risk usually means an estimate of probability, in other words, the likelihood of something happening or not happening (Neill et al., 2008). According to Neill et al. (2008), risk can be associated with positive outcomes, such as the assessment of the odds of a lottery win. However, it is more commonly connected to negative consequences, such as the probability of a person having an accident (Neill et al., 2008). In social and health care practice, it is important to consider both the positive and negative aspects of risk. Positive aspects are those sides of risk that could make a person benefit from it in some way. Consequently, negative aspects are the sides of risk that could make someone more vulnerable.
Social and health care practitioners often have to work with vulnerable groups and estimate potential risks that their vulnerability brings them. To do that, many practitioners resort to the process of risk assessment, which helps them make certain they use the right judgment regarding their service users. According to White (2017), the risk assessment process in the context of social and health care includes four steps. First of all, a person’s desires and feelings regarding risk need to be understood. Secondly, the effect of risk on a person needs to be understood. Thirdly, risk needs to be enabled and responded to, and, finally, a plan is to be developed and contingency is to be taken into account.
To see how each step can be understood on a concrete example, one is to select a K102 case study focused on a vulnerable person. Activity 3.1.1 presents the case of Carys, an 85-year-old woman who lives alone and starts to exhibit signs of vulnerability but is reluctant to get help. When it comes to the first step, for a practitioner, the starting point is the consideration of the activity and the person’s wish to do it. Carys needs help because she is clearly more forgetful and anxious than before; however, she wants to keep doing everything on her own. This is likely due to her taking pride in being self-sufficient and independent at such an old age.
At the second stage, the positive outcomes of the service user’s participation in the activity and any benefits the activity bears for them are to be considered. For Carys, such activity is living alone, and doing that will help her stay active, which is essential for the prevention of many elderly people’s health problems. However, the potential risks associated with it include Carys already experiencing some problems, like having difficulty keeping her balance, forgetting to take her medication, and being paranoid about some things.
Finding ways to improve safety and limit potential risks is a part of the third stage’s process. Seeing how Carys cannot live fully alone on her own anymore, she might agree to compromise. For one, she might have a carer call her to remind her to take medication and visit her a couple times a day to ensure everything is in order. Moreover, Carys could be trained in basic first-aid skills and calling for assistance in case of an emergency. The fourth step is a formal one; at this stage, all previous steps are recorded and the plan is reviewed, with necessary updates or changes implemented.
In conclusion, the notion of ‘risk’ can be understood in a number of ways. In the field of social and health care, risk is the probability of something happening to them due to their vulnerability, and it can have positive and negative aspects. The risk assessment process is a necessary procedure for practitioners to consider the risks vulnerability brings to a person and find the ways to eliminate them.
Reference List
Neill, M. et al. (2008) ‘A positive approach to risk requires person centred thinking’, Learning Disability Review, 14(4), pp. 17–24.
White, E. (2017) ‘Assessing and responding to risk’, in Cooper, A. and White, E. (Eds.), Safeguarding adults under the Care Act 2014: Understanding good practice. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, pp. 110–128.