TMA01 Question -
This question is based on the case study of Bill. How have recent events affected Bill’s quality of life?
The aim of this assignment is to examine Bill’s personal health problems and the impact it will have upon his quality of life. I will do this by analysing Bill’s current situation and making some suggestions as to how this might be affecting his wellbeing and quality of life in general. I must point out that my views are only speculation in this instance as there is no single template for ‘life’ that suits everyone and when referring to quality of life there are both “objective and subjective aspects” to be considered. (Leach, 2010, p7) Again with the word ‘health’ we cannot assume that everyone has the same opinion of what health is.
According to the World Health Organisation health is defined as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity.” (Woodthorpe et al., 2010, p28). This definition has proved useful because it indicates that our health is influenced by a number of factors. (Doyal and Gough (1991) cited in Leach, (2010, p7) argue in their book ‘A Theory of Human Need’ that “physical health, survival and autonomy are basic, universal human needs”, They also believe that in order to successfully function in society, objective needs such as good living and working conditions, food, water and clothing, are basic requirements and must be met and suggest that personal autonomy, one’s freedom to select goals and have the capacity to make informed choices should also be regarded as an essential need. Abraham Maslow an American psychologist also had similar ideas; he felt that humans have a hierarchy of needs. He categorised human needs into several groups and stressed that the basic needs must be fulfilled before moving on to satisfy the next. Maslow felt that at its most basic level, biological needs such as food and water must be met before one can...