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Emergency psychiatric services for individuals with intellectual disabilities: caregivers' perspectives
- Authors:
- WEISS J.A., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 22(4), July 2009, pp.354-362.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Strains on the mental health system and inaccessible services for individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) often force caregivers to bring individuals with ID to the emergency department (ED) when in psychiatric crisis. The purpose of this study was to understand the experience of caregivers and adults with ID and mental health issues, according to caregivers' perspectives. Focus groups were conducted with one group of unpaid caregivers (i.e. family members) and two groups of paid caregivers (i.e. staff from community agencies) from Ontario, Canada. Caregivers identified a number of issues centring on a lack of services, on respect, on knowledge and on expertise. Diagnostic overshadowing and overmedication were also prevalent concerns. The authors conclude that input from caregivers points to deficiencies in the system that lead them to use the ED when other options have been exhausted. A number of recommendations can be implemented to improve the emergency psychiatric care of adults with ID in the ED.
Who will care after I'm gone? An insight into the pressures facing parents of people with learning disabilities
- Author:
- FITZROY
- Publisher:
- FitzRoy
- Publication year:
- 2015
- Pagination:
- 25
- Place of publication:
- Petersfield
The report draws on the findings from three focus groups and in-depth interviews with parents of people with learning disabilities to identify the pressures they face looking after their sons and daughters, and their concerns for the future. A online survey was also completed by 188 care frontline care workers to find out their perspective. The report summarises the key issues raised by parents in the research and provides an individual case study to illustrate their concerns. Key issues identified were: the support available to their son or daughter after their parents had died; the difficulties of securing good quality care and support, and feeling they needed to be ‘in crisis’ to do so; cuts in funding and lack of continuity of care; and incorrect needs assessment from social services. Issues identified in the survey of front line care staff included concerns about how the spending cuts would affect their role and the support they could give; and the poor social status of their job. The report’s recommendations call for local authorities to provide a whole lifetime approach to care; an improvement in the status and pay of care work; and the promotion of adult family placement, such as Shared Lives schemes, to enable adults outside the immediate family to provide people with learning disabilities with care and support. (Edited publisher abstract)