Learning disabilities

What is a learning disability?

Learning disabilities range in severity and invariably interfere with the acquisition and use of one or more of the following important skills:
oral language (e.g., listening, speaking, understanding)
reading (e.g., decoding, comprehension)
written language (e.g., spelling, written expression)
mathematics (e.g., computation, problem solving

Learning disability can affect the way in which a person takes in, remembers, understands and expresses information. People with a learning disability are intelligent and have abilities to learn despite difficulties in processing information. Living with a learning disability can have an ongoing impact on friendships, school, work, self-esteem and daily life. People with learning disability can succeed when individualised self-management skills and strategies are developed and relevant accommodation is provided.

How Emergency Response Ltd can assist those with Learning Disabilities

Life for those with a learning disability can be quite frustrating as they face challenges in order to live independently.  In the past many chose to live with families or in sheltered care-type accommodation. For many living with learning disabilities has proven to be stressful and thus has led to depression, feeling of loneliness and isolation.

Carers for those with learning disabilities admit to finding it difficult in dealing with these situations while coping with everyday living and family matters. The idea of searching for support is now a thing of the past. Assistive technology such as telecare can give those with learning disabilities and their carers a new lease of life. Telecare sensors placed around the home can be used to improve the quality of their lives and give increased confidence to those with learning disabilities. Telecare can help encourage those with learning disabilities to be more active in their community, thus reducing the risk of social exclusion and leading to more fulfilling lives.

Technology  

Click on any of the following telecare sensors for further information.

• Property Exit Sensor
• Bed/Chair Occupancy Sensor
• Flood Detector
• Temperature Extremes Sensor
• Carbon Monoxide Detector
• Natural Gas Detector
• Enuresis Sensor
• Epilepsy Sensor

DDA Vibrating Pager - When a telecare sensor is activated, the Lifeline sends a signal to the DDA transmitter, which alerts the wearer by vibrating an LED.  

Interesting Facts

• Almost 269,000 (62%) have more than one disability - up from 188,000 (58.1%) in 2002
• The incidence of disability was higher in urban than in rural areas (9.3% compared with 8.6%); among females than males (9.6% compared with 9%) and, not surprisingly, was age related - 58% per cent of persons with a disability were aged 50 years or over
• Among children aged 0 to 14 years, the number of boys with a disability was far higher than the number of girls, 21,183 compared with 12,073. In every category of disability there were more boys than girls, with the greatest difference in the learning or intellectual disability category (13,658 boys compared with 6,391 girls) and the difficulty in learning, remembering and concentrating category (14,017 boys compared with 6,575 girls).
• Of the 347,000 persons with a disability living in private households, one in five lived on his/her own in 2006. The corresponding proportion for those aged 65 years and over with a disability was one in three
• Almost 161,000 persons aged 15 years and over (representing 4.8% of all persons aged 15 and over) indicated that they provided regular unpaid help for someone with a long-term illness or disability in April 2006. More than one in four carers provide unpaid help for 43 hours or more each week and two thirds of these carers are women. Over half of all carers (90,544), indicated their principal economic status was at work

Source (CSO: 2007) 

We will be launching our Learning Disabilities Guide shortly.  If you would like to obtain a copy please click here.

If you would like to receive additional information please contact our Telecare Support Team at 1850 247 999.