Learning Disabilities Flashcards
What is a learning disability?
Reduced ability to understand new information or skills and cope independently which begins before adulthood.
What social issues affect people with learning disabilities and their families?
Social exclusion, discrimination, poverty and issues with transition to adulthood. There is insufficient support for carers.
What are the medical issues that affect people with learning disabilites?
Premature mortality and health inequalities. High prevalence of multi-morbidity which increases the complexity of health services.
What are the legislative issues which affect people with learning disabilities?
Providing reasonable adjustment to ensure they have the same level of accessibility.
What is the prevalence of learning disabilities?
Greater in children than adults, however adults have a higher mortality.
What is profound and multiple learning disability?
More than one disability such as physcial disability which impairs mobility, sensory impairment or sensory disruption. This can make it difficult for people to communciate their feelings or intent.
How are people with PMLD supported?
Prioritising communication through intensive interaction, communication passport (provides a snapshot about details of a patient like their communication preference) and hospital passport.
What are reasonable adjustments?
Changes to services to ensure that disabled people have maintained access. This includes increased time for exams/appointments, the environment of appointments, attitude of respect towards them, method of communication and signposting help.
What are practical uses of reasonable adjustments?
Summary care record such as health passports
What are the principles of the mental capacity act?
Presumption of capacity
support individuals to make their own decisions
best interests
less restrictive options -> If another person is deciding for someone else, they must consider the option which interferes less with the patient’s rights.
respect “unwise” decisions
Which people cannot have capacity?
If they cannot understand and retain the information to make a decision, weigh it up, communicate the information. U R a W C.
What are annual health checks?
Review of changes in health to the patient yearly, available from the age of 14. Reviews medicine, screening for vaccination and health action plan to prevent early death and reduce health inequalties.
How is mental capacity assessed?
Based on if a person has impairment to mind or brain which is sufficient enough to affect capacity. Impairments may be mental illness, drugs/alcohol induced, confusion, unconsciousness or learning disabilities. If it is a temporary state, reason must be sufficient for the time delay.
What are the common multi-morbidities associated with learning disabilities?
Obesity, epilepsy, ataxia, constipation and visual impairment.
What are the factors in early death of those with learning disabilities?
Previous condition of epilepsy (most common) or DVT
Lived in deprived areas
From a mixed background, Black/Asian
dementia and CVD for older people
died outside the home or hospital,
