Why Learning Disability Nursing?

I suppose when most people ask me why learning disability nursing, i always reply “Why not?” 

It isn’t something most people think of when they think of nursing. Or a field that people may think needs specialised nurses. But the reality is that as we live longer, as we progress in medicine, as we find new cures and new medications, as we advance as we species, there will be new diseases, new learning disabilities and new immunities. 

And there are many, many people that have learning disabilities. It may be mild, they may be very high functioning in that they lead a reasonably independent life. Or it may be that they have such profound learning disabilities that the individual needs care with every aspect of their daily life. And for that reason, i want to help shape the care of the future for those with learning disabilities.

                                             

It is important to recognise the difference between learning disabilities and learning difficulties.

A learning difficulty doesn’t affect general intelligence (IQ) whereas a learning disability does.

Examples of learning difficulties may be dyslexia, dyspraxia or ADHD.

Learning disabilities on the other hand do affect IQ. And generally to be identified as having a learning disability, three criteria need to be met. These are; early onset (presenting before aged 18 years) ; intellectual impairment and social or adaptive dysfunction.

(Please see BILD for more information)

I recently posted that the reason for me going into learning disabilities is to make a difference. To be more than just an advocate, but to show people that those with learning disabilities need to be included, not secluded. And this is enforced in my mind every day.

I work with adults with learning disabilities, and i have done for the past 4 years. i originally started out as a support worker for adults with learning disabilities. This was after i went out to America to work in a special needs camp. Hands down the best summer of my life!

Well worth doing if you ever have the chance. I met some amazing people, it helped shape me as a person and cemented my career goals and aspirations for working with people who need that care and support.

Anyway, i digress.

Working as a support worker i was able to see how those with learning disabilities function day to day. How they integrate within their local community. How they achieve the most monumental of feats due to support, education and assistance.

I then started to be interested in the ‘what happens next?’

Its okay for people to see the day to day functioning, but what happens when someone with a learning disability is admitted to hospital? How do health professionals monitor health? Especially in those with communication difficulties?

I then began working in end of life care, to gain insight into the more clinical side of care. To see what is needed for people in such vulnerable positions. This was eye opening. I worked with people in their own homes who chose to return there from a hospice or hospital setting. And i loved it. Not many people can work with those who need such terminal care, and some may say it takes a special kind of person. But i, myself, would have remained doing that work for a lot longer than i did. But i needed to progress in my career!

So then onwards to working in a day centre facility with adults with learning disabilities. Some have been attending for years, some months and some only weeks. Some are making the transition from child services to adult services. This again, has been another way for me to see yet another side of the care and support that adults with learning disabilities receive. It is a fascinating job and it is utterly amazing the work the staff do. Everything is monitored from weight, hearing, eyesight, communication, to completing goals and tasks to enable someone to write their own name, to choose their lunch independently, to being able to go to zumba classes or even scuba diving!

The work that goes on in a day centre is massively undervalued. When i have worked in supported living (which i still do), i have met staff that will say they dont know what the staff in day centres do. Or why are they so nosey ringing up all the time? Or why do they get paid loads for doing nothing? The list goes on. But what some of these people fail to realise is that all those involved in the care of an individual need to work together. They need to utilise their abilities to communicate and do so! And by doing so it improves the individual’s quality of life, their care and their task learning.

So from here i now go to university (again) in September.

I get to learn more about the care of those with a learning disability and hopefully get to make a difference to someone, even if it is merely helping them put a shoe on. It is the littlest of things that can sometimes make the biggest of differences to a person.

After all, isn’t that what nursing is about?