Assessment

Author(s):  
Owen Barr ◽  
Bob Gates

It is a professional requirement of nursing regulators such as the Nursing and Midwifery Council and the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland that all nursing interventions should be based upon, and underpinned by, an accurate and structured nursing assessment of a person’s physical, mental, and social abilities and needs. Nurses need to have an understanding of how to assess changes in a person’s physical and mental health, including their level of pain, distress, and ability to make informed decisions, and how this may fluctuate in different settings and across the lifespan. They also need to be alert to the risks of diagnostic overshadowing when undertaking assessments, from which they will plan nursing care in collaboration with the people with intellectual disabilities and their carer/carers.

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 91-101
Author(s):  
Sasha Martine Mattock ◽  
Kieron Beard ◽  
Amy Baddeley

Purpose Recent guidelines from the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence highlight that service users (SUs) with intellectual disabilities and co-occurring mental health problems rarely get the opportunity to share their experiences of mental health services. Over the past 20 years, policy documents have stated that these individuals (SUs) must be included in decisions about their care. Research suggests that often this is not the case. Therefore, this paper aims to create a space for SUs to share their experiences of mental health services, and what they found helpful. Design/methodology/approach A focus group was held with five SUs, two psychologists and two researchers. The audio recording of the discussion was transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis. Findings Three main themes were identified, namely, “relationships with others”, “inclusion and communication” and “challenges”. This focus group highlighted that although some SUs felt supported, they reported having little control in their lives and wanted to be listened to. Research limitations/implications Including a SU in the planning and facilitation of the focus group would have made this research more inclusive. Practical implications The implications of this research suggest that by listening to and involving SUs and developing more person-centred services, recovery rates may increase as the services provided would be more targeted. Originality/value Very little research has previously been conducted to explore SUs’ experiences. This paper highlights the value of being heard and the knowledge that is often lost if the authors do not take the time to listen to the people for whom a service is designed.


Author(s):  
M. Dolores Gil-Llario ◽  
Irene Díaz-Rodríguez ◽  
Vicente Morell-Mengual ◽  
Beatriz Gil-Juliá ◽  
Rafael Ballester-Arnal

Abstract Introduction The lockdown due to COVID-19 affected the sexual health of the people with intellectual disabilities by differentially modifying the frequency and characteristics of people’s sexual activity depending on whether or not they lived with a partner during this period. The aim of this study was to analyze the extent to which the sexual behavior of people with intellectual disabilities (with and without a partner) was affected during the lockdown. Methods The sample consisted of 73 people with intellectual disabilities between 21 and 63 years old (M = 39.63; SD = 10.11). The variables analyzed were the physical, social, and technological environment during the lockdown, sexual appetite, sexual behavior, online sexual activity, and sexual abuse. The data were collected between the months of May and June of 2020. Results The lockdown increased the sexual appetite of a third of the sample (38%), especially the youngest participants. Sexual activity focused on autoeroticism and online behavior, particularly sending nude images of oneself (88%) and viewing pornography (83.6%). Rates of sexual abuse during this period were relatively high (6.8%). Conclusions The sexual activity of people with ID was important during the lockdown, and they had to adapt to the circumstances of isolation in a similar way to the general population. Technological improvements in terms of devices and connection quality at home allowed their sexual behavior to be reoriented, opening the door to new risks for the sexual health of people with ID. Policy Implications Cybersex and the increase in sexual abuse due to confinement are aspects that should be included in programs to improve the sexual health of this group.


KWALON ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yvonne Timmermans ◽  
Annemiek Stoopendaal

Emancipatory qualitative research into an organizational change from the perspective of clients with intellectual disabilities and their attending professionals Emancipatory qualitative research into an organizational change from the perspective of clients with intellectual disabilities and their attending professionals This emancipatory research studied the effects of an organizational change in an institute for people with intellectual disabilities both from the perspective of clients and of their attending professionals. Data was collected through observations followed by interviews. First, professionals were interviewed to obtain an image of the organizational change in practice. Then, the clients were observed and interviewed. The sequencing of these methods enabled the interviews with the people with intellectual disabilities by building trust and by using concrete examples that came to the fore during the observations.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document