Despite an increasing body of research evidence that demonstrates the ongoing health inequalities experienced by people with learning disabilities, there have been few changes in policy and practice.
In her debut blog, Rosalyn Hithersay presents a paper that describes a series of workshops that took place in 2013 with the aim of addressing this shift from evidence to action.
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Down syndrome is the most common cause of learning disability in the UK and life expectancy has shown a dramatic increase in the last fifty years. However, people with Down syndrome face significant health issues.
In this blog, GP Matt Hoghton looks at a recent clinical review published in the BMJ, which provides advice and guidance on managing care and support for people with Down syndrome.
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Following our recent post on what has happened since the publication of the CIPOLD Confidential Inquiry report, we joined a tweet chat hosted by WeLDNurses with two of the report’s authors: Pauline Heslop and Matt Hoghton.
It was a really lively hour with some fantastic contributions. Here we present a summary of the comments with some links to information that was mentioned during the chat itself.
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As people with learning disabilities are living longer, then they are also experiencing age related disorders such as dementia, where they have been shown to have a higher risk than the general population. Here we look at a review of the current state of knowledge which looks at a range of issues, from prevalence, assessment, treatment and future directions for research.
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Research by SeeAbility and the RNIB suggests that adults with learning disabilities are ten times more likely to be blind or partially sighted than the rest of the population. If they have severe or profound learning disabilities, then they are likely to have serious sight problems. There already exists some guidance for GPs on responding [read the full story…]
Periodontal disease refers to issues relating to or affecting the tissues surrounding the neck and root of a tooth, It is a significant oral health problem for people with Down syndrome. It can be a cause of tooth loss and has a number of contributing factors, which includes poor oral hygiene. Antimicrobial agents like chlorhexidine [read the full story…]
Background In 2010, Emerson and Baines in a search of the literature on healthcare issues for people with learning disabilities identified at least one study where increased rates had been reported. In 2011, we reported on a US study which found in one cohort, significantly higher prevalence of diabetes in adults with ‘cognitive limitations’ when [read the full story…]
Researchers in Finland looked at medical problems in a population of people with Down syndrome and compared health surveillance to recommendations in national guidelines. They looked at case records from the specialist services in primary healthcare and disability services. They found many age-specific medical and surgical problems, including congenital heart defects and middle ear infections [read the full story…]
