Horse Shoeing

Independent living is a new phrase in our culture. It generally speaks of ways of helping people who would otherwise be reliant on others for their basic needs of personal care and safety, to find ways of looking after themselves. It is a wonderful step in the right direction out of the traditional institutional model of care, yet it should not stop there.

There should be a balance between the goal of independent living, and the community feeling and benefits that come from relationships where people rely on one another and need one another. It is the involvement of true friends and family that make independent living work.

With the inventions of more and more disability equipment like ceiling hoists and the ability to install a personally tailored disabled bath, the need for constant professional or family care is becoming less of a need. This is great as no one relishes being completely dependent and although there will always be institutionalized care, it may not be necessary for the full range of people it used to be for.

Disabled children of today who are growing up learning to use the various tools designed for disabilities, are at an advantage because they are learning how to be more independent from the start. In some ways, the more independence people can experience in their personal care, the more time it gives them to build relationships that are not based on the need for that level of care.

Even for people with no disabilities or challenges, being reliant on others is not seen as a good thing in our culture, when in reality, a community in inter dependence is a healthy one, where people learn that it is ok to rely on others, and experience others relying on them. Independent living is a step in the right direction, but it is not the full picture.

The modern home is better than ever before for providing support and help for people with disabilities. Get quality disabled equipment at the Astorbannerman.co.uk web site.