What is the difference between Impairment, Disability and Dependency?

These three terms are often confused because they can be linked, but they are very different because their implications, situations and even the way they are valued are different.

Disability refers to the limits of people to perform some activities, it can be temporary or permanent. 

Dependency has to do with the lack of autonomy of people who cannot fend for themselves in daily life and need the help of others for everyday actions.

Impairment is any loss of a psychological, physiological or anatomical structure or function. It includes the existence or appearance of an anomaly, defect, or loss of a limb, organ, or body structure, or a defect in a functional system or mechanism of the body.

We are going to break down the main differences between disability and dependence that are often interchanged in common usage and the concept of impairment.

Dependency

It is the situation in which a person has limitations to perform one or more basic activities of daily living, needing the help of others to function in daily life. 

It is classified by degrees: moderate, severe and high dependency and the financial benefit you can obtain will depend on your Autonomous Community.

Disability

The difference between disability and dependency is that a person who has a disability can be completely autonomous. 

According to the WHO, the most accurate definition of disability is: a complex phenomenon that reflects a close and borderline relationship between the characteristics of the human being and the characteristics of the environment in which he/she lives.

To see this more clearly, it is best to look at the types of disabilities that can occur: 

-Physical disability: 

Physical disability is understood as when your motor functions are diminished or absent, for example, any limb of the body. Here you can see very well the difference between disability and impairment since a person may have difficulty walking, but does not have to depend on another person, can be completely autonomous even having a physical disability.

-Disability of any of their senses:

This includes people with vision or hearing loss. In this typology there is a great diversity of people since there are people who cannot see at all and others who have diminished in some degree the sense, but nevertheless they are completely functional in their daily life and do not require another person to manage in their day to day.

-Psychic disability:

People with psychiatric or psychological diversity are included in this category; they are those who have mental disorders such as depression or anxiety, for example. Not all of these disorders are disabling. 

There are different degrees and from 65%, as with any type of disability, it is possible to access the non-contributory level pension.

The Non-Contributory Disability Pension, known as PNC de Invalidez, assures citizens with this degree or higher, not only a financial benefit but also free medical-pharmaceutical assistance and complementary social services, even if they have not contributed sufficiently.

-Intellectual disability:

There is currently no framework agreement regarding the definition of this type of disability. It would approximate below-average intellectual functioning, provided it occurs in conjunction with limitation of at least two of the following skills: leisure and work, educational growth, social skills, communication, home living, self-care, safety and health.

Although they tend, in this case especially, mix the terms of disability and dependence, is not always linked that people with intellectual disabilities are dependent. Increasingly, intellectual disability does not disqualify people with intellectual disabilities from having the option of work, independence at home and even starting their own family. 

Deficiency

Impairment according to WHO is any loss of a psychological, physiological or anatomical structure or function. It includes the existence or appearance of an anomaly, defect, or loss of a limb, organ or body structure, or a defect in a functional system or body mechanism. For this reason, terms can be confused and the difference between disability and impairment may not be entirely clear.

So, what are the main differences between Dependency, Impairment and Disability?

Disability focuses on people's limits in performing specific activities. 

Dependency would have to do with the lack of autonomy to perform daily life tasks with autonomy. 

Impairment would allude to the structure of psychological, anatomical or physiological functions.

The services of SICOR telecare El Corte Inglés are designed for all these types of people, for the elderly, dependent, chronically ill and / or vulnerable to assist them and be with them in any situation, at home and outdoors.

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