L ve your health Annual Health Checks Sharon Williams
Dawn Gullis, George Langton Dawn Cavanagh #loveyourhealthldw
Better Health Outcomes for People with Learning Disabilities Annual Health Checks – why bother? Presented by: Sharon Williams
People with learning disabilities are Dying too Young!!
• Men with learning disabilities died on average 13 years earlier than men in the general population. • Women with learning disabilities died on average 20 years younger than women in the general population.
Nearly half of all deaths investigated could have been either avoided or prevented!
•We need a system for recording the deaths of all people with learning disabilities. •Some of the deaths would need to be investigated. This will help us to learn more about the reasons why people with learning disabilities die. •We need to look at this information for everyone in Wales. This will help us to learn more about the health and care needs of people with learning disabilities.
• We need to know if people have learning disabilities. This is so services can make changes so that people with learning disabilities can use them as easily as everybody else.
Annual Health Check’s – Why are they important??
• The main reason for someone dying earlier than they should was a delay or problemwith their treatment.
• People with learning disabilities have more medical problems than people without learning disabilities. • More likely to have long-term problems like epilepsy or diabetes. • More likely to have problems due to their mobility or feeding difficulties.
• Nearly half of all adults with learning disabilities have a mental health problem
• Having a health check every year can help find health problems, so people can be given the right help more quickly .
• It is a good way to get to know your doctor and nurse better, and for them to find out more about you.
• Most people with a learning disability known to social services can have a health check • You do not need to be ill to have a health check • You can ask your GP for a health check. • Your family, support worker, friend or doctor might suggest a health check.
• If your GP does not do health checks contact your Health Board and ask for a health check
• Sharon.williams8@wales.nhs.uk
Health Checks and After Health Checks Study Dawn Cavanagh
• Hello. My name is Dawn.
• I work at the University of South Wales.
• I want to know about health checks for people with learning disabilities.
• I want to know what your health check is like.
• I want to know what happens to your health after the health check.
• Your doctor should share any concerns about your health with you.
• Your doctor might say you need to go and see other people. Example
hospital doctor
hospital nurses
•
Your doctor might say you need to eat healthy food.
• Your doctor might say you need to exercise.
• Your doctor should write all this down in a Health Action Plan.
Your health action plan should also tell you: • How you can do this • Who can help you to do this
• When this should be done by • When the doctor will look at this again (review)
• To stay healthy I need to keep a check on my heart.
I need to tell my support worker when I feel:
dizzy dizzy
When : at all times
I need to tell my support worker when I feel:
pain in my chest
When: at all times
• I will be interviewing people with learning disabilities.
• Just after the health check • 6 months later • Just before the next health check
Interview 1 Just after the health check • I would ask you what it is like to have a health check.
•
I would ask you about your health action plan.
Interview 2 6 months later • I would ask how you are getting on looking after your health. • I would ask how any things picked up during the health check are being dealt with.
Interview 3 Just before next health check • I would ask how you are getting on with looking after your health. • I would ask how you are preparing for your next health check.
•
I am happy to talk about my research. Please come and find me.
• Email: dawn.cavanagh@southwales.ac.uk