Introduction People living with chronic disease often have a poor quality of life, and, for the NHS, it results in a significant cost and resource burden, with people facing years of treatment. It makes sense therefore to make sure that health services are run as efficiently as possible, while maintaining or improving levels of quality. [read the full story…]
We have posted previously about the use of active support which involves training staff in working practices and organisational procedures to improve levels of participation and increase levels of engagement in activities. The purpose of the current study however was to look at the impact of active support approaches on other outcome measures. The researchers [read the full story…]
Emerson et al’s seminal definition of challenging behaviour identified not only its interactional nature, but also pointed out that people with such issues in their life were at risk of being denied access to regular community activities. The researchers in this study were interested in the gap that they believe exists between what we understand [read the full story…]
We have posted elsewhere on the blog about some of the issues faced by people responding to the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act. The author of this paper set out to clarify the differences between the terms’ capacity’ and ‘competence’ as used in the Act, in order to help practitioners, people with disabilities and [read the full story…]
The Mental Capacity Act has created a legal framework for those supporting people with learning disabilities making decisions about the way they live their lives. The Act provides safeguards for those people who may be unable to make decisions for themselves and sets out guidance for supporters. The authors of this paper carried out an [read the full story…]
Researchers in this Australian study were concerned to consider the issue of planning for future care and support of people with learning disabilities after the death of parental caregivers. They were considered the need to adapt support systems to ensure the best possible quality of life for people with intellectual disability as they grow older. [read the full story…]
Maximising choice and control are key elements of policy in relation to supporting people with learning disabilities, but it is recognised that the choice of where to live and with whom is often denied to people, especially with severe or profound learning disabilities. The researchers in this USA study set out to understand the current [read the full story…]
Whilst there is a developing literature aimed at a better understanding of end of life care for people with learning disabilities, there is little published that relates directly to the perspectives of paid carers. The researchers in this study used a series of focus groups to analyse responses from 64 people who worked in learning [read the full story…]
There are many barriers to people with learning disabilities becoming parents. Published research describing the experience of parents with a learning disability suggests that these include planning for both pregnancy as well as for parenthood. Studies have also shown however that the provision of the right support at the right time can enable parents with [read the full story…]
Self determination is a key thrust of current learning disability policy and indeed sits at the heart of the personalisation agenda in adult social care. This study worked with 17 people with learning disabilities, using interviews to help gather information to help improve our understanding of what impact self determination was having on their lives. [read the full story…]
