It was February 26, 1987, when President Ronald Regan declared March as National Disabilities Awareness Month. The goal for the month is to provide means for individuals with disabilities to live quality, fulfilling lives. Additionally, this month focuses on educating the public about what qualifies as a disability and shines a light on how various people with challenges have contributed positive, successful efforts both locally and globally. Whether are you a person with special needs or a home health aide in Philadelphia, PA, you’ll find this info useful.
You might be surprised to learn that home care in Philadelphia includes services for disabled persons. Companies like Aurora at Home recognize how important it is to provide individualized support for learning, growing, and working, in other words, to improve the quality of life for challenged individuals. That goal works hand-in-hand with National Disabilities Month.
Disabilities Defined
Having a disability means being unable to engage in what would be considered the “norm” for said person. There are medical determinations for mental and physical impairment, which will be continuous for at least a year, or life-long.
Sensory Disabilities
As the name implies, a sensory disability is having some type of ongoing issue with hearing, sight, smell, touch, or taste. Having a sensory disability affects how a person interacts with the world, as 95% of the information we gather daily begins with our senses.
Physical Disabilities
Physical disabilities may be short-term or permanent. Some happen by injury. Others develop because of genetic predispositions or chronic illnesses.
Mental Disabilities
Mental illness is often an “invisible” disease. For some reason, people don’t feel, think, or conduct themselves differently than expected. Nonetheless, they may seem wholly fine. Depression is a good example where people struggle but maintain a good face.
Mental illness is far more expansive than you may expect. 1 in 4 people will experience a diagnosed mental disorder. Sometimes a problem comes and goes, like hypochondria.
Intellectual Disabilities
A person with an IQ under 70 is classified as having an intellectual disability. They have difficult with various daily activities like self-care and communication. This happens because such individuals process information more slowly and struggle with abstract concepts.
How You Can Help
Sometimes people feel at a loss about helping people with disabilities. Truthfully, the first part is learning about them yourself. If there’s someone in your life with challenges, start there. Begin understanding the limitations, and remain aware that limitations don’t have to mean being unable to contribute to society.
Most cities have groups dedicated to disability education. Contact them and see if you can get materials to share (perhaps in the lunch room). If your company doesn’t already have initiatives and resources for disabled individuals, now’s the time to suggest it. Before you do, have some ideas in hand about how to improve accessibility at the workplace.
Finally, support disabled professionals. If they own a shop, look at their products, for example. If, say, a restaurant employs disabled individuals, eat there!
Aurora at Home: Your Home Health Aide in Philadelphia PA
If you have a loved one who has one or more disabilities and needs help caring for them, our professionals stand ready and waiting. You want the best homecare agency in Philadelphia, and Aurora stands out from the crowd. You can use this online contact form for information. Email us at info@auroraathome.com, or contact any one of our three offices:
Feasterville 215-354-4444
Wyomissing 610-375-1800
Lancaster 717-200-1414
