About this course
Working with clients with Learning Disabilities can be very rewarding and provides the opportunity to make a positive difference to the lives to some of the most vulnerable individuals in our society. To be able to offer the best possible care to this client group, and to help them live their best possible lives, it is vital that all Health Care Professionals understand the challenges, discrimination, inequalities and vulnerabilities they those with an LD face. This course will look at the how these negative factors can impact on the nutritional status of those with an LD, what can be done to mitigate this, and how to promote positive change.
This course looks in depth into topics such as the role of the dietitian when working with people with learning disabilities as well as the role of the MDT in LD; nutritional challenges and vulnerabilities; mental and physical health co-morbidities; safeguarding; and adapting communication styles.
Building and consolidating knowledge in the specialist area of LD will help dietitians to get the optimum outcome for their interventions and ultimately improve quality of life of their service users.
Aim
To provide dietitians with the essential knowledge and advanced skills required to work effectively with the learning disability population.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course delegates will:
- Describe key physical health inequalities experienced by people with learning disabilities and explain their implications on dietetic practice.
- Identify nutritional risks associated with a range of conditions commonly encountered alongside learning disability, including PMLD, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, epilepsy, and dementia.
- Apply LD-specific considerations when assessing nutritional status and interpret in the context of the individual’s needs.
- Use clinical and system-level reasoning to determine when nutritional risk cannot be addressed through dietetic intervention alone and identify appropriate escalation and MDT/system responses.
- Apply relevant legal and ethical principles to complex dietetic scenarios involving capacity, best interests and safeguarding.
- Evaluate how environmental, behavioural and systemic factors contribute to nutrition-related risk and identify appropriate MDT or safeguarding responses.
- Apply practical communication approaches and tools to support assessment, consent, decision-making and person-centred care.
Intended audience
- Dietitians working in mainstream services who support people with a learning disability as part of their caseload
- Dietitians new to learning disabilities who need more depth than the BDA Introduction to MH, LD and ED course.
- Dietitians wanting to specialise in or have an interest in LD.
- Dietitians wanting an update in LD.
- Dietitians currently specialising in LD.
Upcoming Dates
