Inequalities In The Provision Of Health Care For I

Essay by EssaySwap ContributorUniversity, Bachelor's February 2008

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Introduction The aim of this assignment is to identify and explore any possible inequalities in the provision of health care for people with ?learning disabilities?. This aim will be achieved by identifying inequalities that hinder people with ?learning disabilities? fulfilling their health care needs. An explanation on why some of these inequalities exist will be given, and the challenges that these present health and care professionals, in meeting the needs of people with ?learning disabilities? will be critiqued.

Issues to be explored include; a brief description of what is meant by the term ?learning disabilities?, the concept of health in relation to people with ?learning disabilities?, and the model of health chosen to underpin this essay. Identified changes in the attitudes and values that guide the development of services and policies for people with ?learning disabilities?, mainly Normalisation and Social Role Valorisation. Aspects of the learning disability nurses role (RNLD) within health care provision will be identified, along with some suggestions proposed to help ameliorate any identified health inequalities.

Main Body.

Gates (1997) suggests that the term ?learning disabilities? is used to describe, ?a group of people with significant developmental delay, that results in arrested or incomplete achievement of the ?normal? milestones of human development?. The causal nature of ?learning disabilities? is diverse and can be due to known or unknown factors, which are genetic (heredity) or environmental in origin, associated with varying degrees of intellectual impairment and sometimes-physical disability, Burns (1994). With the term ?learning disabilities? has come the need to acknowledge the range of individual abilities, adjectives such as, mild, moderate, severe, and profound are used to describe the degree or level of ?learning disability?. It is however important to recognise the sensitivity, and effect of labelling individuals, as this can be un-informative, or damaging to describe...