Discover Top Posts Tagged with #learning disability nursing

I am going to carry on writing this stuff until someone stops me.

Finding a niche

Okay, there had been five jobs in four years and dad was not happy. The last one at the University of Bradford lasted the longest but the Polyester Mafia had got me. That's what I called my supervisor and her thugs. I had progressed through the system from informal warning through first and second written warnings and now I was up before the Head of Department after I had spectacularly crashed the final written (warning).

It was mostly that I was incompetent. I did not fully know the alphabet so I put the returned books anywhere. Things like that. There had a big drop on the volume of the overdue fines levied. I operated a personal policy of forgiveness. Word got around and all the worst offenders pitched up when I was working.

The two biggies against me though were 'associating with none professional staff'. i.e. the library porters. I took my breaks with them, as I did not like eating with people who were trying to sack me. What did for me in the end though was BT Dial-a-Disc. Management had noticed a striking uptick in telephone charges. 'They' got an itemised print out from the telephone company. Somebody had been phoning the special premium service ( for 2p you got to hear the number record in the pop charts) repeatedly during the course of some evenings, and those times matched up with when I was solo working. So, in the end, it was my love of Diana Ross singing Mahogany that did for me. There was a hearing and I was sacked. The Polyesters had got there way.

The Head of Department asked me to hang back and speak with him. He knew that I was a volunteer at a Mencap Youth Club in Guiseley. The set up was a youth club for mentally disabled teenagers, and in keeping with the idealism of the time half those who attended were 'normal' teenagers from youth groups in the district. I started going to earn a scout badge for volunteering when I was twelve. So on the back of this, my Head of Department phoned up a friend of his who was in charge of nurses at Meanwood Park Hospital in Leeds and asked if I could have a job there. They agreed on the spot that I could be a nursing assistant but I would have to call in for the formality of an interview. In the years where I had been getting sacked from all the different jobs, I had been studying for an A level in Economic History at night School and it was on the strength of that the hospital offered me a place on their nurse training scheme part way through my nursing assistant interview. Meanwood Park was a long-stay hospital for people who were, in the language of 1976, Mentally Subnormal. In 2020 we would use the term Learning Disabled or Intellectually and Developmentally Disabled. In the 1980s the term was Mentally Handicapped. In some places, it was and still is Mental Deficiency. The term changes often and usually sounded unkind. The hospital itself at one time had held 900 patients, many of whom had been there since the early 1920s. They lived in large wards which we called Villa's. Conditions were very bad indeed on some wards. I came close to getting sacked many times and was unofficially blacklisted by Leeds (Eastern) Health Authority before I had even qualified but I went on with South Leeds Bob Johnson to do the job, together with psychiatric nursing for the next forty-five years. Bob is three years older than me but the head of the school of nursing made him a kind of buddy mentor as they were concerned I was too young to cope with the job. Another student from those times is also on here and he went on to work in another speciality.

Putting it diplomatically working at Meanwood was an intensive course in the best and worst in human nature. We also had the best parties in Leeds at the Nurses Home. I mean incredible ones. My mum was worried about me working there. She thought it would make me very hard but a job was a job and she dropped me off at the Nurses Home on Sunday afternoon the 22nd August 1976. Nursing took me all over the world but it was hopeless for getting girlfriends. I could never let on I was a male nurse, instead, I would tell them I was a Gas Man which was sort of right. Photos. Left. The Nurses home. My room was on the top floor 4th or 5th from the right. Second photo The Hospital itself. In 1976 it held 650 patients in 20 wards.

Mahogany. Diana Ross. The song that got me sacked

#meanwood park hospital #Bradford University Library #learning disability nursing

She keeps losing her pen.

She keeps losing her pen. Does she know her glasses are there, on her head? Can she function without a list? Oh, there she goes again She forgot something, or misplaced it. Again. It seems other people are in charge, they keep track of her What does she keep track of?

Well... She remembers every child, every patient, Not just their names, and faces and diagnoses.

Inside that brain of hers, which cannot keep track of her specs, pen or badge, she has an encyclopedia of everything everything that matters.

Your child. Name and face is only the beginning, Diagnoses, allergies, medications, emergency plans, care plans, feed routines - a huge amount of information. Safely stored in between the ears, alongside the information of 100 of more other patients.

But it’s not just that, she also remembers; Your child’s favourite foods, stories, music, hobbies, habits, how to soothe them, how to make them laugh, how to ease their pain, how to wind down, how to distract, how to gain trust. Pets, siblings - and, of course, you!

As a care team we don’t get time to read the whole history before you arrive (care plans - yes we do!), so when we ask about your holiday, pets, work, school, and other family members - it’s because we remember, not because we read it!

She, who never has a pen, also has a plan in that brain of hers for any eventuality the ring-ring-ring of that phone could bring. For any time a buzzer goes off. A constant awareness of all other staff at hand, and her own little track of their special skills, relationships and wellbeing.

She, who always loses (”misplaces”) her glasses, she contains all of that, and is also always looking ahead, planning, for how to best support your child and family, and her team, both for that admission and future ongoing support. For fun activities, but also with grief, continuing care challenges, meetings, reviews, service access. It’s all on her agenda, and it won’t be missed.

So, when she’s “misplaced” her glasses, and lost another pen Just hand her another pen, gently point out the glasses on her head.

Her brain contains all of the necessary information, and she does her job so brilliantly - is it any surprise those things don’t stick?

#nursing #nurse #childrens nursing #learning disability nursing #LDN #RNLD

Hey guys! This is a PSA, I’m selling off some nursing books I don’t need because I dropped out of university.

The first is Learning Disability Nursing by John Wiley and Sons Ltd (Paperback, 2004)

And the second is Succeeding as a Nurse by Health Press Limited (Paperback, 2005)

Nursing books are expensive and I’m selling both for only ten pounds each or started bidding at 99p. Please take a look!

#nursing #ld nursing #learning disability nursing #books #university #ebay

20 years less life. . . Why?

When you think of a person with learning disabilities, what do you picture? A variation of people I am sure. Males. Females. Children. Adults. Babies. A variation of conditions; downs syndrome, autism, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, retts syndrome, PKU etc etc. All sorts of faces. . . But how many of you have pictured really old people? Very few I bet. It wasn't until yesterday, at the Positive Choices Conference, that I became aware of how low the life expectancy is for people with learning disabilities compared to those without. I am horrified. A woman with learning disabilities has an average life expectancy 20 years lower than a woman without. A man with learning disabilities has a life expectancy 13 years shorter than a man without. 20 years less living. For what reason? Give me a good reason. Yes, people with learning disabilities may have complex health needs... and sometimes these may shorten a person's life. But by 20 years for a woman? I refuse to believe that complex health needs related to learning disabilities cause that. Health needs should be addressed. They are for people without learning disabilities. What does cause this obscene shortening of life? Inequality. Lack of access to healthcare. Lack of health promotion. Simple health activities like regular exercise and a balanced diet being ignored. Discrimination. Neglect. Lack of education. Lack of support. Lack of attention being paid to people with learning disabilities. The healthcare services allowing people with service users to become invisible, to be ignored. Lack of communication. This little statistic shocked me to the core. It can't be true, in this day and age it doesn't seem possible that such a gap still exists. People with learning disabilities are living longer than they used to, but it isn't at the standard it should be. There shouldn't be this difference. Something needs to change. I intend to play my part in changing this. In my practice I want to ensure there is a focus on noticing health problems no matter how small and treating these, on keeping healthy, on educating people with learning disabilities on what it means to be healthy and how to communicate and recognise when something is wrong and of course on ensuring equal and effective access to health care. A statistic that shocked. It needs to and WILL change.

#learning disabilities #disabilities #learning disability nursing #nursing #healthcare #student nurse #student nursing #life expectancy

The branches that divide us, they're getting in the way.

"So, are you a child, adult, learning disability or mental health nurse?" *Insert mental image of what you do*

When you apply to University to study nursing you apply for a branch of nursing, whichever branch you really have a passion for, whichever branch you can see yourself working in. Fair, and true, and necessary. However, what isn't necessary is the complete division that seems to come hand in hand with these titles.

I have heard some appalling things from nurses in my cohort. An adult nurse who said that child nurses were "just babysitters" and that mental health was "pointless". Student nurses who say learning disability nursing isn't being a "real nurse", and other branches who call adult nurses "lazy" and "uncaring". Every branch has it's enemies, and every nurse has to fight to prove that their care is equally as important as another's.

Why do people not realise that we each have to be a bit of everything?

Childhood, adulthood, mental health illnesses and learning disabilities. These are not mutually exclusive. A person, throughout the course of their life, will not only fall into one of these boxes. Not ever.

Children are can be very mature, and the age range within 'child' services may mean you work with an adult. You need to be able to work with babies and toddlers, and also people who have complete capacity and understanding of their care. You need to be able to address the needs of their family, but also to consider their needs and opinions no matter their age. Children who are terminally ill will need help to address the struggles they are going through, and mental health illnesses are sadly becoming more and more common in children. It can be incredibly important for a child for their learning disability to be recognised and diagnosed at a young age, you need to be able to recognise disabilities no matter what branch of nursing you are in, and be able to work with children who may have learning disabilities.

Every adult was once a child. Childhood may have had a huge impact on any adult you are treating. Perhaps their family is more involved that you would expect from their age, perhaps that person finds it difficult to make decisions about their care. People with dementia may find themselves firmly believing they are a child, do you change your principles then? Does age and ability define when the care you provide stops? People with learning disabilities may need 24 hour care and have very complex needs that learning disability nurses are specially trained in, but they may not, they may struggle socially and find communication difficult, they could be at school with you, they might be married to your patient, they might be that patient who you are treating for cardiovascular problems. You have specialist knowledge that can help that patient, even if you are not a learning disability nurse. All adults will experience mental illness at some point in their lives. If they are not currently suffering or managing their own mental illness, it is almost guaranteed that a friend or family member of theirs is and you may be significantly involved in helping that person cope.

Adults can develop a mental health illness at any point in their lives, it may be temporary and related to the conditions and circumstances of that person's life at the time, it could be a long-term illness. It might be in the community, a friend of yours who goes to therapy once a week, a family member who self-harmed and found themselves in hospital, a person who has been sectioned under the mental health act to protect themselves and others. Childhood mental illness is on the rise, unfortunately, and a mental health nurse's patient could be any age. Mental health illness and learning disabilities often come hand in hand, and you must be able to communicate with and treat that person no matter their needs, you must support them and promote health even if it is not something you have been familiar with. If you work with people with mental illnesses, you are guaranteed to work with people with learning disabilities too. Some mental health illness can even be the cause of learning disabilities, self-harm that has starved the brain of oxygen, alcoholism or drug addiction, attempted suicides.

People with learning disabilities are not a separate group. Adults have learning disabilities, children have learning disabilities, and mental health illness and learning disabilities have an extremely high comorbidity rate. Learning disability nurses must learn how to treat an adult or a child with learning disabilities, and realise it is entirely dependent on the person. They must recognise how a mental health illness affects that person with a learning disability, and how the behaviours that person expresses can be down to physical factors, or psychological factors, personality, and not just their disorder or disability. Learning disabilities can be caused not just by genetics and birth defects, but by accidents throughout the course of any person's life. That person went into hospital because they were in a car crash, or had carbon monoxide poisoning, or went into status, and any learning disability nurse must work with adult nurses with a different speciality of knowledge to care for that patient.

We NEED each other. Each branch needs the other branches to function to our best ability. To provide the best care. To meet the needs of our patients, and to learn to be the best possible nurse we can.

It doesn't do any one of us any good to dismiss the benefits of another branch of nursing. Would you prefer a group of people not to be cared for? Would you rather your patient's needs were only half-met in order to keep some sort of stereotypical pride? To be better than that other nurse who you didn't give the time of day?

When you are treating a patient who fits into more than one of these boxes, think of how beneficial it would have been if that, that day, you had listened to that lecturer, who did not nurse in your branch, bang on about their patients. If you had listened to the learning disability nurse, despite being in the adult branch. If you had acknowledged the importance of how a hospital ward works, despite being a learning disability nurse. If you had listened to your friends, your peers, the people who always speak up in the lectures. If you had tried even harder with patients who are not the 'norm' for you, if you had learnt from uncommon experiences instead of hiding from them in fear of doing them wrong.

We are different branches of nursing. We will work in different environments and largely with different groups of people - but we are nothing without each other. Without each other only a tiny percentage of people are given the care they need. We need to work as a team, embrace each other's specialities, knowledge, and skills.

To end on a cheesy note: WE GET NOTHING FROM FOUR BRANCHES, HOWEVER, FROM A TREE, WE CAN REAP THE REWARDS.

#nursing #student nurse #adult nursing #learning disability nursing #child nursing #mental health nursing #nursing brances #general nursing #learning disabilties #patients #healthcare

The little things.

I am currently back on placement, and with placement comes mixed emotions. It is not all positive at placement; you are exhausted, you have to wake up at 5:15am and to 12.5 hour shifts, you will need coffee, you will get bored at times, you will feel overwhelmed, you will miss out on the 'student life' a bit, you will need to relax on your days off and not party, you may feel you lack support and want to go home... but with placement comes wonderful feelings too, feelings of personal growth and appreciation and being a part of something, and learning the craft and making a difference and this post is about that.

This post is about the wonderful things that happen at placement, that overwhelm me in the best kind of way, that never fail to bring tears to my eyes at the thought of them (at home, in my room, never in public - obviously), the things that make it all worth it.

One of my placements has been PMLD (Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities) and the other has been primarily a Mental Health placement, with some mild learning disabilities. Both of these environments are completely different, but really make you appreciate the little things, they are not obvious, they may seem insignificant if you do not know the person, but they are so so huge to that person and to you.

These are my favourite 'little things' at placement this year (using pseudonyms all):

When Carl requested I came to work with him, that I came to his CPA, that i sit next to him when he rarely wants to be around others. His face when he realised I had returned after 4 months away, how his whole demeanour changed.

How Sarah attached herself to me, hugging me, gripping my waist, when she came into the daycare centre every day, and didn't let go until her Mum arrived. When the HCA's who have worked with her for 10 years informed me she has never been like that with another person, including her Mum.

When I developed a relationship with Daniel so good that the other HCAs asked me to feed him because he responded better with me. He is unable to talk and is visually impaired and has cerebral palsy, but I didn't feel like that impacted our relationship at all. He made me smile, and I made him smile.

When Judith asked me to help her in the toilet every time she went there, because she "trusted me" despite having known the other HCAs for 7 years.

When Louis came up to me on Tuesday and told me he was happy for me to be back.

Noticing the difference in Louis from February to now, how depressed he was then, how happy he is now. He is smiling, he is chatting, and it is so wonderful to see. I am so proud of him, so happy for him, he is so inspiring. I do not know what caused this change, but I am so glad and grateful for it.

When me and Michael sang together, and when he realised I knew the words to the old song he was singing his face lit up, and that was beautiful.

Right now, words fail me, I am finding it impossible to write what happened and how I feel about it.

It is a process of meeting them, seeing their relationships with others and not seeing how yours could ever could be, and then the hours pass and you realise that is you. There is a connection that comes with the time that you, as a student nurse, put in. They will remember you, they will be excited to see you, they trust you and know you care. You are appreciated.

You get over the dribble on your clothing, the smells you can (and will!) experience during personal care, the vomit and the snot, the incontinence and the dirt. You get over the mess and lack of personal space. You get over it all. None of the disgusting parts matter anymore, you adapt to it, you see past it and to the person - hell, I made myself a 'dribble cardigan' just so that Sarah could cuddle me as much as she liked. I loved being wanted, needed, cuddled until my cardigan was simply a sponge.

Placement can be incredibly hard, but it is so rewarding. It makes me excited to become a Learning Disability Nurse. Excited to be in a place where I don't have to leave, to build those relationships and keep building.

The little things matter so much. The moment I feel like giving up, I remember them. I remember how I feel about them and they make me remember why I am here and how much I love it.

I would not trade my 5:15am starts and dribble-soaked cardigan in if it meant I missed these little things. I would rather be in that toilet, helping out, smell and all, than miss out and not see how much it meant to that person to have me there, helping, being kind, not judging.

I wouldn't change a thing if it meant I would miss those little things. They don't just matter, they make it.

#little things #placement #student nurse #learning disability #learning disability nursing

To start with a hello.

Hello, my name is Lucy. I am 19 and I study Learning Disability Nursing at Nottingham University.

More than that though, I live it.

Throughout my life I have grown up, thankfully, surrounded by people who are completely accepting of those with disabilities, and it has shaped who I have become (I like to think I'm a pretty well-rounded, accepting, non-judgemental and open-minded person... but then again, who doesn't?).

My younger (for I can no longer say 'little' and he has far out grown me!) brother has autism, and low muscle tone, so for me it is only natural to be accepting of people who are different. I am also very grateful that my family are a part of another family, our Special Kids In The UK family, which in reality is a charity for families with a disabled child (or multiple) which acts as a support system for each other. This charity has grown up with me, for my family were there when it all started, and now it's been going on for the majority of my life, and it is a huge part of my life. I have met people with an array of disabilities, which have completely different impacts on their lives, I have seen the struggles each family faces... but more than that, I have seen the successes. The personalities of these people, the determination, and the love. There is more love in this one charity than I believe most people will experience in a life-time. I understand how full-filling every person's life can be, no matter their disabilities, and I want to be a part of that.

It has come to my attention that not everybody is as blessed as me as to have grown up in an environment where discrimination against people with disabilities doesn't exist, and I want to change the way people think.

Now, I in no way, shape or form think I am a big enough or courageous enough or loud enough person to be able to transform the views of people who are determined to be discriminatory, but if I can open the eyes of just a few I will be very glad.

This blog is for me to talk about Learning Disabilities and other physical and mental disabilities.

It is a place for me to talk about what I learn in University, and what I learn in life, and what I have come to believe or understand.

It is also a place for my opinions on the subject (and I am willing to listen to other people's opinions).

I want to use this blog to broaden my own knowledge and understanding, and to broaden other people's... I want it to aid me to become the best Learning Disability Nurse I can.

Hello, welcome.

#Learning Disabilities #Learning Disability Nursing #Disabilities #Nursing #Student Nurse #Learning Disability #Disability