5 Summary of the course
This course has introduced you to the needs of older people with learning disabilities and their family carers, including people who may have behaviours that challenge others. It has helped you to identify excellent practice when supporting people with learning disabilities as they grow older, particularly with regard to people living good, active lives, ageing well, and the importance of an environment that enables staff to provide the best care possible. Health and social care practitioners need to work together, alongside the person and their family carers, to proactively plan ahead, and be attentive to how people’s needs may change with age.
Useful resources
Planning Ahead Cards:
- Guide video on how to use the cards [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)]
- Online version
- PDFs for normal printing
- PDFs for professional printing
Person-centred care:
- Person-centred care: Prevention practice examples and research - SCIE
- Person-centred thinking - Helen Sanderson Associates
Exploring and understanding experiences and decisions in end-of-life care planning with patients and families from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds:
Other useful resources from the Growing Older Planning Ahead project:
Other free courses:
- Caring for an older family member with learning disabilities
- Exploring learning disabilities: supporting belonging
Death and dying:
- Open Thanatology Hub on OpenLearn
- Collated resources from the Palliative Care for People with Learning Disabilities Network (PCPLD) (2023)
- BILD (2019) Improving End of Life Care for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
- Compassion in Dying (2022) Planning end-of-life care with people who have learning disabilities
- Cruse (2022) Supporting people with learning disabilities through grief
- Department of Health and Social Care (2022) Blog. Empowering people with learning disabilities to make end-of-life plans
- Keele University (2014) Access to Learning Disability Healthcare website
- Learning Disability Nursing Forum (2021) Palliative and End of Life Care
- Marie Curie (2022) Palliative care for people with learning disabilities
- Mencap (no date) Dealing with Bereavement
- Public Health England (2014) Making reasonable adjustments to end-of-life care for people with learning disabilities
- Public Health England (2017) How social care staff can support palliative and end of life care for people with learning disabilities