Learning disabilities

Sexuality and people with learning disabilities is a controversial subject. Research suggests that, although paid carers are starting to acknowledge the importance of relationships, attitudes may be more conservative among family carers and the general public. This quantitative study looked at the attitudes of each of these groups. The researchers also considered whether knowing someone with a learning disability has an impact on the views of the general public and if there were difference in attitudes towards homosexuality among the three groups.

Summary: The evaluation of a project instigated by a voluntary group provided an opportunity to investigate the benefits of holiday breaks to both carers and participants. Feedback was obtained from over 100 people with intellectual disabilities through individual and group interviews, as well as from their carers using self-completed questionnaires.

BACKGROUND: The negative health impacts of prolonged caregiving are widely reported. However, there is a paucity of evidence concerning the impacts of a lifetime of caring on older parents of offspring with learning disabilities.

DESIGN AND METHODS: An exploratory postal survey including the Medical Outcome Study (Short Form) 36 version 2 (SF-36v2) was completed by 100 older parent carers. The reported survey is part of a larger mixed method study including in-depth interviews.

This article explores how personalised technology could have the potential to change the behaviour of people with learning disabilities, enabling them to take more control of their lives and increase their independence. Hft investigates unforeseen outcomes in its work with people with learning disabilities and personalised technology and asks whether personalised technology could be used as a training tool?

The Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities has developed a training resource with a difference - family carers, who are also encouraged to deliver the training alongside professionals, developed the contents to train staff working in learning disability services.

This paper reports on a survey of carer satisfaction with telephone consultations with doctors in a community service for people with intellectual disability (also known as learning disability in the UK health services). A 10-item anonymized carer satisfaction questionnaire was sent out following telephone consultations over a 4 week period with questions about suitability, effectiveness, efficiency and appropriateness of telephone consultations. Out of 13 questionnaires sent, 11 were returned. There was a high level of satisfaction with accessibility, effectiveness and suitability.

BACKGROUND: Little account has been taken of quality of life (QoL) among family carers of adults with an intellectual disability (ID) and family carers of adults with a mental illness (MI), particularly the female ageing carers' perceived stigma. We explore whether there are differences in the significant predictors of female ageing family carers' QoL between family carers of adults with ID and family carers of adults with MI and aim to examine the effect of these differences in stigma on carer QoL between the two groups.

Mencap’s 2003 Breaking Point report identified the appalling situation faced by the majority of families caring for children and adults with severe and profound learning disabilities. Despite highlighting the issues with central and local government at every opportunity, Mencap continues to meet families pushed to breaking point. We have revisited the issues in this report, as we have come across many more stories of families who are still not getting the short break they need. We can confirm that, sadly, nothing has really changed.

As part of an international, multicentered project, the burden of care, health, and subjective well-being experienced by select Australian family carers supporting a relative with disability at home were investigated. Some 448 family carers residing in New South Wales and Tasmania completed a battery of instruments, including a self-report demographic survey, the Family Caregiver Burden Inventory, the General Health Questionnaire, and the Personal Wellbeing Index.

Planning for the future for those adults with a learning disability who live with older carers is an important aspect of the White Paper Valuing People (DoH, 2001). Indeed, such planning is essential if crisis situations are to be avoided, particularly the double shock to service users of losing their home at a time when they are also bereaved. Most research about future planning has tended to focus on the perspective of the family carer rather than that of the service user.