Disability and Impairment Quiz

Objectives

• Students should be able to define impairment after this lecture.
• Students should be able to identify disability after this lecture.
• Students should be able to recognize causes of disability after this lecture.
• Students should be able to define the classification of disability after this lecture.
• Students should be able to define handicap after this lecture.

Introduction

• Disabled people represent a significant social problem.
• Rehabilitation is the best support for disabled people.
• Comprehensive rehabilitation is needed, addressing all needs.

Impairment

• Impairment is a loss or abnormality of psychological, physiological, or anatomical structures.
• Loss or abnormalities of organs or functions of the organism can constitute a disability.
• Impairment concerns abnormalities of body structure and appearance or organ and system functioning, regardless of cause.
• Examples of impairments include: blindness, deafness, paralysis of a limb (amputation).

Disability

• Disability is a restriction or lack of ability, resulting from an impairment, to perform a normal daily activity in the normal manner or range.
• Disability is the functional consequence of impairment.

Handicap

• Handicap is a social concept, a disadvantage resulting from impairment or disability.
• Handicap limits or prevents interaction with the physical and social environment.
• Examples of handicaps include being restricted to home, unable to use public transport, or social isolation.

Other

• Impairment is a problem with a body structure or organ.
• Disability is a functional limitation related to a specific activity.
• Handicap is a disadvantage in fulfilling a role in life.
• All disabled people are impaired, but not all impaired people are disabled.
• A person can be impaired and not disabled.
• A person can be disabled without being handicapped.

Factors Influencing Disability

• Cognition
• Education
• Culture
• Psychological factors (gender, race, age)
• Physical environment
• Financial

Classification of Disability

• Persistence: Temporary or permanent
• Temporary: Lasting for a definite period (e.g., after a stroke)
• Permanent: Not expected to change until death (e.g., blindness)
• Time of onset: From birth or acquired later in life
• From birth: Present from the beginning
• Acquired: Developing later in life, due to disease or injury.
• Progression: Progressive or regressive
• Progressive: Deteriorating and leading to a more severe status (e.g., optic atrophy)
• Regressive: Improving and leading to advancement (e.g., recovery from a stroke)

Causes of Disability

• Hereditary and congenital factors
• Diseases
• Malnutrition
• Traumas (injuries)
• Natural changes due to aging

Disability Prevention

• First level prevention: Reducing the occurrence of impairments.
• Second level prevention: Limiting or reversing disability caused by impairment.
• Third level prevention: Preventing the transition of disability into handicap.

First Level Prevention

• Eradicate malnutrition (increase food production and distribution).
• Eliminate communicable diseases.
• Immunization against diseases (polio, tuberculosis, measles, whooping cough).
• Extensive perinatal care through primary healthcare.
• Safe water and sanitation facilities.
• Reduce accident rates.
• Socioeconomic development for individuals and the country.
• Health education.
• Limit use of alcohol and tobacco.
• Prevent child neglect and abuse.

Second Level Prevention

• Provision of adequate drugs (leprosy, tuberculosis, ear infections, hypertension, diabetes).
• Provision of essential surgery (treating wounds, fractures).
• Providing rehabilitation during disability.
• Effective system of referral to heath centers.
• Vocational and Educational counseling. (Can reduce the incidence and severity of disability by 10-20%).

Third Level Prevention

• Rehabilitation
• Orthopedic orthoses and prosthesis
• Glasses for visual impairment
• Hearing aids
• Vocational schools & training for the disabled
• Improving the economic status of disabled people
• Speech therapy
• Job provision for the disabled

Categories of Handicapped Persons

• Physically handicapped:
• Locomotor system impairments (disorders)
• Disorders of internal systems (organs)
• Musculo-skeletal disorders (arthritis, fractures, myopathy).
• Neurological disorders (peripheral neuropathy, stroke, Parkinson's disease).
• Sensorily handicapped:
• Visually handicapped (visual impairment e.g. cataract, retinopathy, diabetic retinopathy)
• Hearing handicapped (ear disorders causing imbalance and falls)
• Mentally handicapped:
• Mentally retarded persons
• Mentally ill persons
• Persons suffering from epilepsy
• Causes of Mental Retardation
• Illness during childhood (42%)
• Head trauma in childhood (10%)
• Pregnancy and birth-related problems (3%)
• Hereditary (2%)
• Unknown cause (23%)
• Limited mental abilities in perception, memory, decision-making, judging, reasoning, solving problems
• Slower mental processes than normal and reduced learning abilities.

Mental Illnesses

• Mental illness: emotional disturbances, behavioral abnormalities, and reduced capacity for normal daily life.
• Often acquired later in life and may be short-term, recurring, or have lasting effects.
• May be psychogenic (no organic brain changes) or caused by organic brain changes.
• Schizophrenia
• Manic-depressive psychosis
• Paranoia
• Causes of Mental Illness
• Pregnancy and birth-related problems (46%)
• Unknown causes (36%)
• Illness during childhood (9%)

Epilepsy

• Epilepsy: A nervous disorder with episodic disturbances of brain function, often with mental implications, particularly in later stages.
• Characterized by sudden loss of consciousness, associated with convulsion (physical seizure), and sensory/motor changes.

Dementia

• Dementia is a term for a wide range of symptoms caused by a decline in memory, other thinking skills, problem-solving, and language.
• Severe enough to reduce capacity for everyday tasks.
• Common causes include Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia.
• Symptoms include memory problems, difficulty keeping track of belongings (purse, wallet), paying bills, planning and preparing meals, remembering appointments, and difficulty traveling to unfamiliar places.

Interventions in Dementia

• Physical Therapy
• Improve physical function (mobility, balance, coordination, strength)
• Reduce risk of falls (teach judgment, spatial control)
• Improve mood, ease stress, and provide calm
• Improve cardiovascular health
• Provide sense of accomplishment
• Improve sleep
• Occupational Therapy
• Change and enhance the environment for safety and improving function.
• Prevent access to hazardous areas (basements, garages, tool sheds, kitchen, bathrooms).
• Use safety devices (grab bars in bathrooms and tubs, raised toilet seats, nonskid mats).
• Label items clearly.
• Use color contrasts to aid perception.

Role of Physical Therapy

• Aerobic and Endurance Exercises (30 minutes daily, walking, cycling, swimming)
• Strength and Resistance Training (10-15 reps of 8-10 exercises, 3 times per week)
• Stretching and Flexibility Exercises
• Balance Training (improve confidence, reduce falls, exercise variations)
• Gait Training (improve mobility and functional ability without support)

Test your knowledge on key concepts related to disability and impairment. This quiz covers definitions, classifications, and relationships within the context of disability. Explore how various factors and the environment influence disability and examine examples of impairments and disabilities.