Medicine Management People With Learning

Disabilities Often Struggle With Their Medicine, So Let’s

Learn How They Cope…

Day To Day Life With A Learning Disability

A few things to remember when thinking about learning disabilities, which often prevent those with learning disabilities from practicing proper medicines management, include;

• Fewer than 1 in 5 people with a learning disability are able to work.

• This is lower than disabled people generally, where the rate is 1 in 2.

• Coupled with the inability to work, many learning disabled people are unable to care for themselves and rely on carers.

 This brings about a range of difficulties when it comes to medical care, as people who are learning disabled are likely to have to take multiple medicines – possibly on a daily basis.  Keeping up with such a regimen may be difficult or impossible for those with learning disabilities.

What Are The Difficulties Of Administering Medication?

There are many difficulties in administering medication to people with learning disabilities including;

• Many children have learning disabilities and need to have medicine given to them by parents or carers.

• People with learning disabilities might not recognise the need to take medicine.

• Taking pills may be uncomfortable for those with learning disabilities, particularly children.

• People with learning disabilities may not take their medicine because they don’t like the taste.

What Can Be Done To Ease These Difficulties?

Those capable of administering their own medication will wish to keep things as simple as possible, though the frequency of taking medication may complicate matters.

The ease of taking medicine needs to be taken into account as it may influence people to not take their medication – which may then result in a deterioration of their condition.

What are the options?

• Giving carers accurate information on how to properly administer medication

• Using alternative medicines instead of pills such as liquid medicine, inhalers or patches.

• Linking taking medicine to activities, particularly for children so that taking their medicine is a fun and memorable part of their day.

Why are some people with learning disabilities able to administer their

medicine themselves?• Those with mild learning disabilities may be able

to take their own medicine more easily.• If a person has the capacity to take their own

medication then they have a right to make their own decision on treatment.

• Learning disabilities are very diverse; with a wide range of different abilities and understandings therefore many people may take their own medicine without any problems.

• Under common law those with the capacity to consent to treatment must make the decision themselves.

Effective Medicines Management For Learning Disabled People &

Carers

There are many different ways in which people with learning disabilities or their carers can effectively take or give their medication.

People with learning disabilities can still take their medicine, whether with the help of a carer or themselves with a proper understanding of the difficulties learning disabled people have in taking medicine and the effective solutions to it.

Sources

• Image Sources– http://www.flickr.com/photos/dominiquegodbout/5180502739/

– http://static.tumblr.com/4c82d99380b3b0251e3ee92e836c4645/0jz1efu/t3ymhtcwk/tumblr_static_pill.jpg

• Information Sources– http://www.guardian.co.uk/public-leaders-network/2011/apr/13/employment-learning-disabilities

– http://www.ukppg.org.uk/tablets-in-food.html