Right Hon Tony Blair
MP
Foreword
to A Better Quality of Life, the UK's first Sustainable
Development Strategy (1999)
What
does 'quality of life' mean to you?
Can
you list the criteria that need to be addressed in order
that your happiness and well-being are satisfied on a
daily basis and in the long term?
This could prove to be quite a complex exercise - certainly-
I, or we, cannot define your personal needs and desires
for you, only you can do that!
Most people have difficulty in making a categorical list
- often our priorities change from moment to moment as
life evolves and we are faced with different challenges
- so what may suit us today, may not tomorrow, or next
year.
The
following is a quote from Daunt's definition of Quality
of Life:
"The concept of independence is a self-defined
one which varies from person to person. Of such
a good quality of life we were able to identify these
components:
-
Autonomy:
the freedom to choose a preferred way of life
-
Independence:
the opportunity to make one's own practical decisions;
encouragement not to be over dependent in everyday
matters
-
integration;
acceptance by society as a fellow citizen and member
of the community, with full political as well as social
rights; freedom from marginalisation
-
respect;
recognition of the value of one's identity and role,
and of one's contribution to the lives of others
-
ownership;
the possibility to keep one's own personal possessions
and retain control over one's finances
-
social
involvement and communication; access to a range of
useful and interesting occupation, of educational
experiences and cultural, leisure and self-help activities;
enouragement and support in undertaking these; availability
of an accessible environment, including transport
-
privacy
-
tranquillity;
freedom from noise and disruption; continuity of place
and environment" Daunt, 1992, page 175
Where
Daunt has defined quality of life criteria for people
with disabilities, we would now replace 'integration'
with 'inclusion', but broadly these definitions still
provide good guidance and apply to each of us.
When
one tries to interpret these guidelines, discrepancies
in the practical implementation emerge, due to the subjective
interpretation of the criteria. The concept of independence
varies from person to person, and autonomy and inclusion
are dynamic, not static, processes. We continuously
act and react, evolving and developing, adapting or modifying
our beliefs and our attitudes with experiential learning.
So then, what exactly does the Rt Hon Tony Blair mean
when he talks about economic growth contributing to our
quality of life, rather than degrading it? What
criteria is he using to measure these effects?
At
present it is extremely problematical to illustrate the
enhancement of a person's quality of life with anything
other than observable measures. For instance, with
good housing, healthy diet, sufficient income to sustain
a good standard of living, healthcare, access to amenities
- and so on. But what about the more subtle influences
- feeling valued, being loved, or needed? What about
the differences between us - one man's meat being another's
poison?
I
would like us to help clarify what each of us regards
as criteria against which our quality of lives may be
measured. I cannot do this alone without it becoming
too subjective. Therefore, I am asking for collaboration
to create as comprehensive a list as possible.
If
you would like to help in this process please visit the
website - link coming soon - or email me at:
Email:
dawn@dawnheather.com
We
are currently seeing the results of quality of life imbalances
in the high levels of stress that are affecting the nation's
health and economy
