Intellectual disability is a title given to people with diminished ability to understand new or complicated information and to master new techniques (WHO,2018). People with intellectual disabilities are diagnosed as children and have IQ’s under 70 (Health Victoria, 2016). They can fall anywhere on the spectrum, from moderately disabled to profoundly disabled (Health Victoria, 2016).. Those with Intellectual disabilities have higher mortality rates and shorter life expectancy than those without intellectual disabilities (Carey et.al., 2017, p2). This can in part be attributed to lower health literacy. Health literacy is defined by WHO (2016) as the intellectual and societal skill set which determines an individual’s ability to access, understand
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Health care services are failing people with Intellectual disabilities by failing to provide accessible, understandable information (Whittle et al, 2017., p86). Staff do not receive enough training regarding Intellectual disability, allowing stigmatisation and discrimination due to ignorance (Furst & Salvador-Carulla, 2017., p2). There are no opportunities for staff to specialise in Intellectual Disability Nursing and healthcare in Australia currently and without specialised staff it is difficult to ensure the needs of those with ID are properly met (Furst et al, 2017 p7). It has been reported that up to 60% of the population have poor health literacy (ASQHC, 2014), so if those without Intellectual disabilities are struggling to understand health care information, it seems impossible for those with Intellectual disabilities to comprehend. Person centred care, a vital component of nursing care in Australia has historically not been offered to people with Intellectual disabilities, with others making many decisions for them (The Productivity Commission, 2011, p 345). Negative attitudes of Australian health care staff are evident as a factor causing fear and avoidance of healthcare (Kiani et al, 2014., …show more content…
If a person cannot read, accessing healthcare information, filling in complex forms and understanding medication information and dosage can be impossible to navigate, leaving the Homeless person in a situation where they both avoid going to seek care and/or are unable to understand treatment and medication requirement (ref). The Education level of homeless people in Australia has been reported to be significantly lower than the rest of society (Department of social services, 2015, p2) placing them at increased risk of poor health outcomes due to lack of understanding. Medical professional often over use ‘jargon’ to explain health issues to patients and this combined with many complex medical concepts and complicated treatment requirements places those that have not received a reasonable level of education at a disadvantage in achieving health literacy (ACSQHC 2014,
Health care services are failing people with Intellectual disabilities by failing to provide accessible, understandable information (Whittle et al, 2017., p86). Staff do not receive enough training regarding Intellectual disability, allowing stigmatisation and discrimination due to ignorance (Furst & Salvador-Carulla, 2017., p2). There are no opportunities for staff to specialise in Intellectual Disability Nursing and healthcare in Australia currently and without specialised staff it is difficult to ensure the needs of those with ID are properly met (Furst et al, 2017 p7). It has been reported that up to 60% of the population have poor health literacy (ASQHC, 2014), so if those without Intellectual disabilities are struggling to understand health care information, it seems impossible for those with Intellectual disabilities to comprehend. Person centred care, a vital component of nursing care in Australia has historically not been offered to people with Intellectual disabilities, with others making many decisions for them (The Productivity Commission, 2011, p 345). Negative attitudes of Australian health care staff are evident as a factor causing fear and avoidance of healthcare (Kiani et al, 2014., …show more content…
If a person cannot read, accessing healthcare information, filling in complex forms and understanding medication information and dosage can be impossible to navigate, leaving the Homeless person in a situation where they both avoid going to seek care and/or are unable to understand treatment and medication requirement (ref). The Education level of homeless people in Australia has been reported to be significantly lower than the rest of society (Department of social services, 2015, p2) placing them at increased risk of poor health outcomes due to lack of understanding. Medical professional often over use ‘jargon’ to explain health issues to patients and this combined with many complex medical concepts and complicated treatment requirements places those that have not received a reasonable level of education at a disadvantage in achieving health literacy (ACSQHC 2014,