Anti-discriminatory Practice in Mental Health Care for Older People by Pauline Lane & Rachel Tribe

Author:Pauline Lane & Rachel Tribe
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers
Published: 2017-01-30T05:00:00+00:00

PART II

Insights

CHAPTER 8

Ageing and Mental Health

Issues for People with

Learning Disabilities

Musthafar Oladosu and Rena Kydd-Williams

Introduction and terminology

This chapter looks at people with learning disabilities, the issues they encounter as they get older and some of the barriers they face when accessing services to meet their ongoing physical and mental health needs. It explores key issues in practice, examines accepted definitions and prevalence rates of people with learning disabilities, and then addresses pertinent topics faced by service users and practitioners while incorporating recommendations to enhance anti-discriminatory practice and service provision.

We would like to thank the participants of the POhWER advocacy group, based in Hackney, London, which was set up in 1996 as a charitable organisation. The title of the group is not an abbreviation; it is a take on the word ‘power’. The service users, who have various needs as older people with a learning disability, were open and passionate about sharing with us their insights as to what it means to them to get older as well as the concerns they have around mental health issues. The service users selected their own aliases in order to remain anonymous. In this chapter, we have used elements of the interviews conducted with the group to highlight the voices of the service users. Some examples can be found in the following case study.

Case study: Interview with members of the POhWER group

Stick, White and JJ are discussing younger people, getting older, mental health dilemmas, doctors and vulnerability. JJ and White are aware of a housemate who has learning disabilities and mental health problems. However, they seem less sure as to whether he is getting any meaningful help. They are also very aware that he is vulnerable when he goes out alone in the community as the general public might mistake his behaviour for being threatening or abusive.

Stick: Other people can respect us, younger people, so they can understand where we are coming from. In this day and age too many younger people are getting away with murder and stuff and taking the micky out of people that are older than them, so it’s about respect.

White: Some people get miserable when they get older!!! [She laughs.] You have to get older; you don’t stay the same age every year.

Stick: People will lose their mind; they will say things that they don’t mean.

White: When people get older they have lots of things going on up there, like dementia, getting lost, repeating the same questions.

Stick: I think some people with learning disabilities are scared to go to the doctors and they might need help, but they might not be able to understand what the doctor is saying so they stay away… I have worked with People First [an advocacy group] so I know how to stand up for myself, but other people with learning disabilities might not know how to.

JJ: There is a man who lives in our block – he doesn’t make any conversation. Staff try to help him but he doesn’t shave and he just stares at people.

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