Dying and living with learning disability: will health checks for adults improve their quality of life?

摘要

We know that for people with learning disability, this is a life-long condition, and also that it is not associated with long life. Adults with learning disability (intellectual disabilities), have the triad of impaired intelligence, reduced ability to cope independently (impaired social functioning), with both starting before adulthood and resulting in a lasting effect on development. An article in this Journal by Tuffrey-Wijne and colleagues explores in depth, mainly by participant observation, the experiences and needs of 13 patients who were terminally ill. In at least 10 of the patients the diagnosis of cancer was delayed. Better access to regular cancer screening programmes has the potential to reduce the incidence of late diagnosis in this group; people with learning disability often fail to attend offered screening services, such as mammography and cervical cytology.