*Note: These contents are assembled from several web sites, some of whom are now defunct. Although I have the documents in my records, I've provided the current links to available items. Copies of material from defunct sites, as well as my works, are provided below. Copyright belongs to the authors and/or publishers of the material according to the information contained in the documents. An internet search of the titles or of content from the material should be made for referencing purposes. The owner of this web site only claims authorship where indicated within the material.
Co-morbidity of Psychiatric Disorder and Medical Illness in People With Intellectual Disabilities 2007 — Physical disorders can be the side effect of psychotropic medications, which are often prescribed to people with intellectual disabilities (PWID) for their challenging behaviours. In addition, they may not be able to report their physical symptoms early or appreciate their significance. Instead of somatic complaints, these physical problems can present as challenging behaviours or psychiatric symptoms.
Consensus guidelines for primary health care of adults with developmental disabilities 2006 — OBJECTIVE To develop practical Canadian guidelines for primary health care providers based on the best available evidence for addressing health issues in adults with developmental disabilities (DD).
DDHealthInfo — The Developmental Disabilities Resources for Healthcare Providers website is a collaboration of California-based information and programs on developmental disabilities. The primary goal of this website is to improve the health of persons with developmental disabilities in California.
Diagnosis and management of urinary incontinence in residential care 2013 — Urinary incontinence is a burdensome chronic condition afflicting a large number of elderly residents in long-term care facilities. Reversible causes commonly contribute to transient incontinence for many residents. These causes include poor fluid intake, stool impaction, depression, and the use of certain pharmaceuticals.
Dignity in health care for people with learning disabilities. RCN guidance (second edition) 2013 — This guidance, developed by the Royal College of Nursing Learning Disability Nursing Forum, aims to improve dignity in health care for people with learning disabilities.
Equality and Equity of Access to Healthcare for People with Intellectual Disabilities 2011 — People with intellectual disabilities often have poorer health than the wider population and may experience a range of barriers when seeking to access healthcare. However many of these barriers have been identified as being both modifiable and avoidable.
Genetic factors and mental disorders
Guidelines for Managing the Client with Intellectual Disability in the Emergency Room 2002 — There are few specialized mental health services for persons with intellectual disabilities in Ontario. Unfortunately, the first direct clinical experience the resident has with a person with intellectual disability is often in the emergency room. This encounter, positive or negative, is likely to influence the psychiatry resident’s attitude toward persons with intellectual disabilities as a group.
Health and Challenging Behaviour: Summary — If an individual is in pain, they are more likely to display challenging behaviour.
Health at a Glance 2011 OECD Indicators — Key indicators provide information on health status, the determinants of health, health care activities and health expenditure and financing in OECD countries.
Health Care in People with Intellectual Disability Guidelines for General Practitioners 2006 — These Guidelines are designed to assist general practitioners to provide comprehensive health care to people with intellectual disability. The Guidelines are based on the best evidence available at the time of development. They provide information about commonly occurring health conditions that need to be screened for in people with intellectual disability.
Health indicators for people with intellectual disabilities A European perspective 2003 — People with intellectual disabilities make up about 1% of the population of Europe. As trends toward community life advance, they have become more visible and more likely to access generic health systems. Yet evidence suggests that there are striking disparities between the health of this group and that of the general population.
Health Inequalities & People with Learning Disabilities in the UK: 2010 — People with learning disabilities have poorer health than their non-disabled peers, differences in health status that are, to an extent, avoidable.
Health Needs Assessment Report – Summary - People With Learning Disabilities In Scotland 2004 — The future work required to contribute to reducing health inequalities, in order to make a difference to the quality of life of persons with learning disabilities, that of their families and social experiences. From this a series of recommendations were developed.
Loneliness and Pathways to Disease 2003 — Research is presented that investigates loneliness as a social factor of importance in three predisease pathways: health behaviors, excessive stress reactivity, and inadequate or inefficient physiological re-pair and maintenance processes. Empirical evidence of autonomic, endocrine, and immune functioning suggests that the physiological effects of loneliness unfold over a relatively long time period.
Meeting the health needs of people with learning disabilities. RCN guidance for nursing staff 2013 — This updated guide has been developed to support registered nurses and nursing students across the range of health services,who are trained in fields other than learning disabilities,to deliver high-quality health care to people with learning disabilities.
Primary care of adults with developmental disabilities Canadian consensus guidelines 2011 — Objective To update the 2006 Canadian guidelines for primary care of adults with developmental disabilities (DD) and to make practical recommendations based on current knowledge to address the particular health issues of adults with DD.
Primary health care for people with intellectual disabilities 2011 — This RESEARCH ROUNDup investigates the reasons for primary health care disadvantage in people with intellectual disabilities, and strategies to overcome this disadvantage. PDF at http://www.phcris.org.au/phplib/filedownload.php?file=/elib/lib/downloaded_files/publications/pdfs/phcris_pub_8351.pdf
Promoting Patient Safety Through Effective Health Information Technology Risk Management 2014 — The potential for health information technology (IT) to improve health care delivery has been appreciated for decades, but "digitizing" health care can also introduce new risks and even harm.
Promoting recovery through therapeutic risk taking 2006 — Community care has increased the focus on risk management, and mental health nurses increasingly find themselves being pulled in two directions. Can they manage to promote a service user's liberty, while simultaneously endeavouring to protect the individual and society from danger?
Reducing premature mortality in people with Learning Disabilities: Effective interventions and reasonable adjustments 2014 — There is consistent evidence that people with learning disabilities (LD) in England die much earlier than the rest of the population, and that a large proportion of these deaths are preventable.
Report on the State of Science on Health Risks and Ageing in People with Intellectual Disabilities 2009 — This paper summarises a review of the scientific literature over the past fifteen years on the topic of health risks associated with ageing in people with an Intellectual Disability. It is a review of descriptive observational research ranging from discussion at the social ‘wellness’ end of the spectrum through to analysis of the impact of ageing on the incidence of chronic physical illness.
Researchers call for health care changes to help adults with developmental disabilities 2013 — Adults with developmental disabilities such as autism and Down syndrome in Ontario are having a harder time accessing health care even though they have more health issues than people without developmental disabilities, according to research done at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH).