iDirect has helped people with learning disabilities to get access to private rented market

Listen in here

Decades of progress on public participation are being lost as grassroots organisations face financial problems and closures.

Read more here

A mental health nurse has revealed she saw staff in a secure psychiatric unit restrain a patient with learning disabilities so violently that they broke his neck – then left him lying in his own waste over a weekend.

The man was only taken to hospital two days later, after doctors intervened, and was found to be paralysed.

Warning- this is a distressing story, but you can read about it here

Prevalence of seizures in people with Down’s syndrome is higher than the general population.
There are two peaks of incidence – during the first two years of life and between 20 and 30 years. However, some people develop them later in life.
As people with Down’s syndrome become older their chances of getting epilepsy increases. About 46% of people (nearly one in two) with Down’s syndrome who are older than the age of 50 have a diagnosis of epilepsy.
Individuals with Down’s syndrome who develop Alzheimer’s dementia have epilepsy much more often than individuals who don’t have Alzheimer’s dementia.
Seizures are generally very obvious, however, sometimes it can be diff icult to know if someone is having a seizure.

Find out more

• 
  This guidance is for public health staff commissioning or running weight management services and other mainstream health professionals working to support people to lose weight. It is also for family carers, social care staff and learning disabilities professionals. It advises about specific aspects of weight management for people with learning disabilities.