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Sociology Of Disability A disability can be physically visible as with mobility impairments or non-visible which may include learning disabilities, hearing and visual impairments, chronic health problems and head injuries. According to statistics, nowadays in New Zealand the majority of people with disabilities have more than one disability. Forty percent of people with disabilities have a single disability. People living in residential facilities are more likely to have multiple disabilities.
Ninety-six percent of disabled people living in residential facilities reported more than one disability compared with 59 percent of disabled people living in households. Physical disabilities remain the most common type of disability. Sixty-six percent of adults with disabilities reported some kind of physical disability (431, 000). Sensory disabilities were the next most common, affecting over 40 percent (272, 800). The leading cause of disability is a disease or illness (40 percent), followed by an accident or injury (30 percent). Forty-two percent of all disabled adults are mildly limited by their disabilities.
A further 43 percent are moderately affected, and the remaining 15 percent are severely limited. In 19961997, just over 60 percent of the adult disabled population were mildly affected, 28 percent were moderately affected and 12 percent had severe limitations. Severity is defined by the level of assistance required. One-third (207, 200) of disabled adults living in households reported that they use special equipment. Twelve percent (77, 100) of disabled adults living in households reported an unmet need for some type of special equipment. A total of 743, 800 New Zealanders reported some level of disability in 2001, an increase of 41, 800 since 19961997.
However, the overall disability rate of 1 in 5 has not changed. One in five Maori have a disability, the same as for the total New Zealand population. The disability rate for Pacific peoples is 1 in 7. Disability increases with age.
Eleven percent of children (0 to 14 years) have a disability, compared with 13 percent of adults aged 15 to 44 years and 25 percent of adults aged between 45 and 64 years. More than half (54 percent) of people aged 65 years and over reported having a disability. For Maori adults, the disability rates are higher than the national rates. One-third of Maori aged 45 to 64 years reported a disability compared with one-quarter of the total population aged 45 to 64 years. Sixty-one percent of Maori aged 65 and above reported a disability, compared with 54 percent of the total population in this age group. The disability rate for Maori children is 15 percent, which is also higher than the national rate for children (11 percent).
More females reported disabilities (384, 900) than males (358, 900). However, the overall disability rate for males and females is the same. More than half (52 percent) of urban dwellers aged 65 and over living in households have a disability, compared with 45 percent of their rural counterparts. At other ages the rate of disability does not vary between people living in urban and rural areas. Almost 25, 000 disabled adults in residential care (90 percent) reported that they used some type of special equipment relating to their disability.
The most common type of special equipment used was a shower stool, reported by 19, 100 disabled adults in residential care (70 percent). Walking frames, incontinence products and wheelchairs (manual or motorized) were other common types of special equipment used by adults in residential care. Approximately 11, 000 adults in residential care (close to 40 percent) reported using each of these types of equipment (some of these people used more than one type). Ninety-seven percent of disabled adults in residential care (26, 400) reported receiving help with at least one everyday activity such as shopping or personal care.
One percent of adults in residential facilities were mildly affected by their disabilities. A further 16 percent were moderately affected and the remaining 83 percent were severely limited. Severity is defined by the level of assistance required. Both moderate and severe disabilities are most prevalent among the oldest members of our population (those 85 +). NZ Health and Disability Commissioner shows that about 56 % of older people between the ages of 85 and 89 have moderate or severe levels of impairment; about three-fourths of the 90 to 94 year-olds fall into this category, and 80 % of those who are 95 or older have some disability.
As was the case for the overall population, the size of the severely disabled population of New Zealand will increase dramatically between 2015 and 2050. The number of older people with severe disability will more than double in size, from less than 200, 000 in 2015 to over 450, 000 in 2050. The moderately disabled group will almost double in size, increasing from about 318, 000 in 2015 to about 615, 000 in 2050. The rate of growth varies, however, by age and sex.
The number of severely and moderately disabled older people over the age of 85 will more than triple, from 177, 000 in 2015 to 622, 000 in 2050. The number of severely disabled older women will triple, and the number of severely disabled older men will more than quadruple over the thirty-five year projection period. Rates of increase are partly based on the size of the group in question; the numbers of older men are lower at every age and at every stage of the projection period, so it takes fewer absolute numbers of people added to the group to achieve a higher rate of increase. Therefore, even though the rate of increase for disabled older men is higher than that for women, the number of older women with disability is much higher. While the differential rates of increase are of interest as we try to understand the changing demo-graphics of the older population, the absolute numbers of older people needing assistance has a greater impact on service system design and planning. The increasing number of disabled older women suggests that service utilization and cost patterns may be altered in the future.
Many of the long-term care service use indicators such as living arrangements, marital status, and income vary by sex. For example, nationally 60 % of women age 85 and older lived alone (Richmond, D et al. 1995). Economic indicators for Wellington suggest that older women are more likely to have low incomes -- 80 % of people age 75 and over who are poor are women. Thus, even though the overall increases in the growth of the disabled older population are compelling in themselves, the higher proportion of vulnerable older women could affect service use and cost patterns in the near future. The subsequent effects of an illness, accident or medical condition upon the way a person functions can be divided into two main categories; visible and invisible. A visible impairment is one that can be seen, for example a wheelchair user has a very obvious physical impairment.
Consequently, may people associate disability with using a wheelchair when in fact, wheelchair users make up only a small percentage of the disabled population. There are many other forms of visible and invisible impairments and some examples are listed below by the Medical Disability Advisor (Waikanae, NZ). The Medical Disability Advisor states that they should not be considered in isolation; a person with advanced diabetes, for example, may have a visual impairment and have mobility difficulties due to slow circulation and loss of sensation. Physical impairment - this is difficulty in moving or using all or part of the body. The upper limbs may be restricted making it difficult to reach, grasp and manipulate objects; or there may be a mobility impairment often caused by partial or complete loss of function of the legs, but conditions that affect balance or loss of sensation can also result in mobility difficulties. A person with a mobility impairment may not necessarily be dependant on a wheelchair; they may still be ambulant, but find walking difficult.
Sensory impairment - indicates that there is a loss of hearing or sight. Learning disability - suggests that a person has difficulty learning in the commonly used and accepted way, or at the same pace as their peers. It does not mean that they can not learn; often different approaches to learning will help people with a learning disability to understand. Communication difficulties - our main forms of communication are by using speech, gesture and the written word. A communication difficulty may arise when there are difficulties articulating the muscles used for speech or when there are disturbances to the speech area in the brain, for example. We often use gesture to support what we are saying and therefore anyone with a condition that affects their muscle control will have difficulty forming natural gestures.
Mental illness - this includes illnesses that result in disorders of mood, perception, motivation etc, and also conditions that affect the actual brain tissue giving rise to memory loss or disorientation, as found in Alzheimer's disease, for example. Hidden disability - there are a number of conditions that affect the human body without there being any outward signs of impairment. Conditions such as heart disease, respiratory disorders and epilepsy may affect the person's ability to function effectively in particular situations or at certain times. Many health issues for young New Zealanders (aged 12 to 25) are closely related to risky behavior, such as using alcohol, tobacco and cars and taking part in...
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