News Release, 4 October 2001
Older people with learning disabilities are too frequently misplaced in nursing and residential homes for older people which do not meet their needs, according to a new report from the Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities. The research, Misplaced and Forgotten, which will be launched on Thursday 4 October, found that people with learning disabilities were around 20 years or more younger than other residents, that staff had little or no training in supporting people with learning disabilities, and that there were few opportunities for daytime activities, particularly outside the home.
"Fifty per cent of people with learning disabilities now have the same life expectancy as the general population, but services just aren't meeting their needs," said David Thompson, GOLD (Growing Older with Learning Disabilities) project manager, Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities. "Instead people find themselves cut off from day services, with little opportunity to maintain friendships and relationships outside the residential home, which we know to be a safeguard against abuse, and often overlooked by specialist learning disabilities services."
The research is based on a survey of 530 different registered nursing and residential homes for older people, each of which was supporting around 30 people, together with 53 of the 430 local offices responsible for registration and inspection of nursing and residential care homes.
Of the 530 homes which responded, 150 reported people with learning disabilities living in the homes, with a further 47 homes having looked after somebody with learning disabilities during the last five years. Two-thirds of the registration units did not record or did not know the numbers of people with learning disabilities living in older people's services, while the third who did reported numbers ranging from 1 to 325 people.
The average age of residents in the homes was between 80 and 85, whilst four out of ten people with learning disabilities had entered the home before their 65th birthday - contravening guidelines for registered homes which give a minimum age for residents of 65 years. The average age of people with learning disabilities was 71 years, with the youngest being just 33. Less than four out of ten people (38%) of people with learning disabilities were over 75 years, the age at which the Department for Health suggests that older peoples services could first be considered a possibility for people with learning disabilities.
The homes supporting people with learning disabilities had concerns about the levels of care they were able to provide. Four out of ten (41%) suggested that staff didn't have appropriate training, and around a quarter reported that staffing levels weren't appropriate (27%) and that activities inside and outside the home were inappropriate (23%). Over a third (36%) of people with learning disabilities had had no contact with a social worker or case manager over the last year, and just over a quarter (28%) of people had seen a learning disability professional over the last year.
Isolation was a common factor for people with learning disabilities, with around a third (31%) getting out less than once a week, despite their relative youth, and over four in ten (43%) only seeing a family member or friend at least once a month, with homes sometimes unaware of whether people had family or friends. On average people with learning disabilities were involved in regular activities for just two half days in the home and two outside the home, leaving the majority of their week unoccupied.
Misplaced and Forgotten recommends:
- All current placements of people with learning disabilities in older people's homes should be reviewed by learning disability care management.
- Local authorities should hold registers of people with learning disabilities to ensure that people are not forgotten or overlooked by services.
- Older people with learning disabilities should remain the responsibility of learning disability services, rather than being transferred to older people's services.
- Services should pay more attention to helping maintain older people's social networks and family relationships.
- In England the National Care Standards Council should consistently apply the lower age limit to older people's services.
More information about Misplaced and Forgotten
Return to news releases 2001
Note to editors
For further information and interview requests contact please contact the press office on 020 7803 1105 / 1128 or email the press office
The Foundation promotes the rights, quality of life and opportunities of people with learning disabilities and their families. We do this by working with people with learning disabilities, their families and those who support them to:
- Do research and develop projects that promote social inclusion and citizenship
- Support local communities and services to include people with learning disabilities
- Make practical improvements in services for people with learning disabilities
- Spread knowledge and information.
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