|
Learning disorder problems |
| |
Down’s and fragile X syndromes |
| |
Cerebral palsy |
| |
Autistic spectrum disorder |
|
Associated common and/or important
conditions problems |
| |
Epilepsy – increased incidence and complexity with
severity of learning disability |
| |
Sensory impairments – hearing and vision, earwax |
| |
Psychiatric problems – emotional and behavioural
disorders, sexual and physical abuse, schizophrenia, bipolar affective
disorder, Alzheimer’s disease in Down’s syndrome |
| |
Obesity – predisposes to other health problems |
| |
Gastrointestinal – swallowing problems, reflux
oesophagitis, Helicobacter pylorii, constipation, gastric carcinoma |
| |
Respiratory problems – chest infections, aspiration
pneumonia |
| |
Cerebral palsy – especially with severe learning
disability |
| |
Orthopaedic problems – joint contractures, osteoporosis |
| |
Dermatological problems |
|
three main areas of deficit in care
delivery |
| |
Untreated, yet treatable, medical conditions z Most
individuals have a range of conditions that would normally be
self-presented to the GP. These include simple conditions such as
impacted earwax or dermatitis, and more serious problems such as breast
lumps or major cardiac arrhythmias |
| |
Untreated specific health issues related to the
individual’s disability z Known health needs are often not addressed. A
common example is that people with Down’s syndrome do not receive
regular thyroid screening in spite of the high frequency of
hypothyroidism. A lack of uptake of generic (non-targeted) health
promotion |
| |
People with intellectual disabilities receive fewer
health promotion measures than their non-disabled peers. These include
relatively simple procedures such as weight and blood pressure
measurement, and more complex processes such as mammography and cervical
smears. |
|
Emergency care |
| |
In urgent life-threatening cases, treatment needs to
proceed without consent in the best interests of person with limited
capacity |
|
Treatment |
| |
Hurdles in the delivery of treatment due to difficulties
reading instructions and treatment labels |
| |
The risks of 'over the counter' prescriptions in some
patients with a degree of independence, who may not fully understand how
to take treatments or what the treatment is for |
| |
Implementation depends on carers and the additional
difficulties with drug delivery in inspected residential care homes |
| |
Hard to identify side effects |
|
Resources |
| |
Specialist learning disability teams and non-medical
agencies. Describe the roles of paid carers, respite care opportunities,
voluntary and statutory agencies |
|
Prevention |
| |
Health reviews proposed for people with learning
disabilities |
| |
Diagnostic overshadowing is when a person’s presenting
symptoms are put down to their learning disability, rather than the
doctor seeking another, potentially treatable cause. For example, when a
person presents with a new behaviour or existing ones escalate, doctors
should consider |
| |
Physical problems: pain or discomfort, e.g. from ear
infection, toothache, constipation, reflux oesophagitis, deterioration
in vision or hearing |
| |
Psychiatric causes: depression, anxiety, psychosis,
dementia Social causes: change in carers, bereavement, abuse |
|
Prevention |
| |
Health reviews proposed for people with learning
disabilities |
| |
|
Psychiatric causes: depression, anxiety, psychosis,
dementia |
| |
|
Social causes: change in carers, bereavement, abuse |
| |
Diagnostic overshadowing is when a person’s presenting
symptoms are put down to their learning disability, rather than the
doctor seeking another, potentially treatable cause. For example, when a
person presents with a new behaviour or existing ones escalate, doctors
should consider |
| |
Physical problems: pain or discomfort, e.g. from ear
infection, toothache, constipation, reflux oesophagitis, deterioration
in vision or hearing |
The Core Curriculum statement
[
