People with learning disabilities
WHAT DO WE ALREADY KNOW about older people with a learning disability and their needs?
Here are some key facts ((( numbered to aid referencing))):
- People with learning disabilities are living longer
- The number of older people with learning disabilities is growing
- Older people with learning disabilities are a diverse group
- Future generations of older people with learning disabilities will have more complex needs
- Most people with learning disabilities live with their parents and these families are growing older together
- Older people with learning disabilities and their families do not always get the right support
- Older people with learning disabilities share many of the same experiences of growing older as everyone else
- Older people with learning disabilities can face specific challenges and disadvantages as they age
- Older people with learning disabilities face a ‘double jeopardy’. They face discrimination as disabled people and age discrimination as older people
- Older people with learning disabilities need to be supported to age well, to understand their age related needs, and to remain active and healthy for as long as they can
- It is important to listen to what older people with learning disabilities and their families tell us is important to them
- Many services are not well prepared to support older people with learning disabilities and their families; these include services for people with a learning disability, older people, carers and health care. Better information, joint training and planning are needed to meet people’s needs at a local and national level
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