Injuries Reported and Recorded for Adults with Intellectual Disabilities Who Live with Paid Support in Scotland: a Comparison with Scottish Adults in the General Population

Abstract

The higher rate of injuries, particularly minor injuries, being reported suggests a culture of injury reporting and recording within these supported living services. Electronic injury monitoring is recommended for organizations providing supported living services for adults with intellectual disabilities.

Fall-risk-increasing drugs and falls requiring health care among older people with intellectual disability in comparison with the general population: A register study

“…Falls are the most common cause of injury in the general older population [ 1 – 3 ] as well as among people with intellectual disability (ID) [ 3 – 6 ]. In comparison with the general population, people with ID are at increased risk of falls, fall-related fractures, and other fall-related injuries [ 4 , 6 – 10 ], and the association between falls and injuries is stronger [ 3 ].…”

“…Falls are the most common cause of injury in the general older population [ 1 – 3 ] as well as among people with intellectual disability (ID) [ 3 – 6 ]. In comparison with the general population, people with ID are at increased risk of falls, fall-related fractures, and other fall-related injuries [ 4 , 6 – 10 ], and the association between falls and injuries is stronger [ 3 ]. There are several possible explanations for this discrepancy, many of which relate to personal and health factors among people with ID, such as epilepsy or other seizure disorders [ 4 , 5 , 11 ], behavioral problems [ 5 ], and urinary incontinence [ 4 ].…”

Fall prevention for people with learning disabilities: key points and recommendations for practitioners and researchers

“…Recent, longitudinal studies (Sherrard et al., 2001;Finlayson et al., 2010;Hsieh et al., 2012;Petropoulou et al., 2016;Foran et al., 2016) have enabled us to confirm high rates of falls amongst people with LDs of all ages. People with LDs (or intellectual disabilities, which is the internationally recognised term) are defined as having, 'a significantly reduced ability to understand new or complex information and to learn and apply new skills (impaired intelligence), which results in a reduced ability to cope independently (impaired social functioning), and begins before adulthood' (World Health Organization, 2010).…”

“…For those who provide care or support to people with LDs, it is important that individual fall risk assessment is incorporated routinely into care/support planning for all people with LDs, or at the very least, for individuals with LDs who have experienced more than one fall or at least one fall injury (Finlayson et al, 2015;Petropoulou et al, 2016). National Institute for Health Care and Excellence (NICE, 2013) guidelines are available on fall risk assessment.…”

Incidents resulting in health care among older people with intellectual disability in comparison with the general population: A national register study

“…People who have a cognitive impairment are less able to recognise and avoid risk (Greenspan, Switzky, & Woods, 2011), and thereby have an increased risk of incidents. Intellectual disability (ID) is characterised by significant limitations in intellectual functioning and adaptive behaviour (Schalock et al, 2007), and adults with ID have been found to have a higher rate of injury than people from the general population (Petropoulou et al, 2016). Also, "injury, poisoning, and certain other consequences of external causes" is the most common diagnostic group for hospitalisation among people with ID (Skorpen, Nicolaisen, & Langballe, 2016).…”