Health Promotion Perspectives for Adults with Learning Disabilities
KEY POINTS
• There is clear evidence that many healthcare needs of adults with learning disabilities remain unmet.
• There is low reporting of illnesses and symptoms among adults with learning disabilities, with the subsequent risk of misdiagnosis and inappropriate treatment, or no treatment at all.
• A key aspect of the role of those who care for and support adults with learning disabilities is to convey health promotion messages at an appropriate level that the service user can understand.
• Women who have learning disabilities are less likely to undergo cervical smear tests than the general population.
It is known that adults with learning disabilities are more likely to have greater additional physical needs than the general population. For example, we know that adults with Down’s syndrome are at an increased risk of recurrent chest infections, congenital heart defects and anemia. Epilepsy is also present in one-third of adults with learning dis abilities, yet only 0.5 per cent of the general population have epilepsy (Department of Health 2001a). Adults with learning disabilities are also living to an older age, and hence developing associated age-related health needs.
Yet, there is clear evidence that many healthcare needs of adults with learning disabilities remain unmet, as highlighted by the National Health Service Executive (NHSE) paper, Signposts for Success and most recently in the government’s White Paper, Valuing People (Department of Health 2001a).
These unmet needs may be due to a number of factors, and include:
• communication difficulties;
• inability of carers to recognize the health needs of adults with learning disabilities;
• general practitioners (GPs) not understanding fully the healthcare needs of their patients who have learning disabilities;
• general ignorance about the specific healthcare needs of adults with learning disabilities;
• prejudice from carers and professionals towards adults with learning disabilities.
