Editorial

Citation

Mantell, A. and Simonson, P. (2012), "Editorial", Social Care and Neurodisability, Vol. 3 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/scn.2012.56103aaa.001

Editorial

Article Type: Editorial From: Social Care and Neurodisability, Volume 3, Issue 1

Welcome to Volume 3, Issue 1 of Social Care and Neurodisability. This quarterly journal aims to be a single source of knowledge on legislation, best practice and research for those working with, and affected by, neurological conditions. This issue explores the breadth of neurodisability and social care practice.

In the practice section, we consider the roles of case managers, care managers, social workers and client support co-ordinators and how they can work together for their clients’ benefit. Lyndy-Lee Green, a case manager and Jo Dicks, a social worker, describe their work with a young man who sustained a brain injury at birth. They highlight that whilst there may appear to be significant overlap between these two roles, for example, identifying needs, planning care and liaising between services, there are also some distinct differences. Crucially, case managers “[…] make recommendations of need centred on maximising outcomes and without having responsibility for managing a service imposed budget” (Parker, 2006, p. 19), whereas care managers are situated within local authorities having to prioritise and allocate scarce resources. In exploring the challenges and successes that joint working can produce, they underline the complexity of work with people with ABI and identify key points for collaborative working. Yet, as Paul Brown, Mike Hope and Des O’Meara demonstrate in the second article, gaps can still exist where the individual and their family would benefit from support from a person who is knowledgeable in ABI and social care. They draw upon a case study to illustrate how, particularly in the early days following injury, a client support co-ordinator can play an essential role, which supplements that of the case and care manager.

In the research section, we gain a rare insight into the rehabilitation of people with spinal cord injuries in India. Guru Nagarajan, Elango Arumugan, George Tharion and Suranjan Bhattacharji asked 225 patients what they considered to be the priority for future research in the field. The 62 responses provide direction for future research, but also alert practitioners to their most pressing concerns. Ranking issues in terms of first, second and third level of priority, urinary incontinence, bowel incontinence and vocational rehabilitation were, respectively, seen as most important. Concerns that we would suggest are of significance to patients with spinal cord injuries regardless of cultural variations across the world.

Our second research paper considers how counselling support for parents of children with neurological conditions was able to improve the self-esteem of both the parents and the children. In presenting their findings, Ann Edworthy and Beverly Cole are also able to draw practitioners’ attention to the experiences of growing up with, and caring for, a child with a neurological condition. They emphasise the significance of understanding situations from a dynamic perspective. It is not sufficient to consider the impact of a neurological condition on the child and their family today, it must also be viewed in terms of their past experiences and future concerns. Interventions also have a dynamic effect as improving the self-esteem of parents can improve the self-esteem of children which in turn positively affects the self-esteem of the parents. They argue that practitioners should be mindful of the significant contribution that counselling can provide in such situations.

The proliferation of video surveillance in the UK is often cited as indicative of Orwell’s vision of a dystopian future drawing nearer. Andrew Lansley’s placement of monitors displaying him espousing the virtues of the NHS by every hospital bed (Bloxham, 2011) does little to dispel such foreboding. A person with locked-in syndrome, who lacks family to banish this intrusion, might even experience this technology as more reminiscent of Dante’s Inferno than Big Brother. What, however, would it feel like to have surveillance focused specifically on you? In the first of our legal articles, Jill Greenfield explores the impact that surveillance by defendants’ insurers has upon those seeking compensation for injuries. She argues that such tactics have a detrimental effect upon their emotional state and psychological wellbeing, adversely effecting rehabilitation and potentially producing misleading information.

In the second of our legal articles, Deirdre Healy assesses the impact of the 1999 Rehabilitation Code. It has succeeded in shifting both sides in the litigation process from not only acknowledging the importance of rehabilitation to actively promoting it to ensure that the Claimant is able to maximise his or her recovery at the earliest stage. Healy contends that this focus on collaboration and rehabilitation produces a “win-win” for both sides. She then goes on to provide a framework for legal advisors to use when considering the provision of early rehabilitation within litigation.

In the review section, Naresh Mall found Caring for the Physical and Mental Health of People with Learning Disabilities, by Perry et al. a useful exploration of these often neglected aspects of their needs. Aimed at families and carers as well as professionals, it maintains an accessible tone throughout.

In the second review, The Neuropsychiatry of Consciousness by Cavanna and Monaco, provides a detailed examination of the three fundamental states of consciousness: sleeping, dreaming and waking. The authors then go on to explore a range of altered states of consciousness, which include epilepsy, dissociative disorders, coma and dementia. Louise Roper considers their approach, which draws from both science and philosophy of great interest to practitioners in the field of neurodisability.

This is the last edition that we will be editing. It has been an exciting two years and we have been impressed by the diversity of the practice, legal discussion and research that we have been able to showcase. We wish Declan McNicoll well in editing subsequent issues and look forward to your contributions to expanding the knowledge base in this most complex of fields.

Andy Mantell, Patti Simonson