During a lifetime we all experience many changes and some of these can be difficult. Change can be difficult for everyone but can be especially difficult for people with learning disabilities
When change is happening we call it transition. It is called transition because the change means moving from one place to another.
This can be difficult for everyone but can be especially difficult for people with learning disabilities. It can also be made more difficult when there are lots of different people involved in supporting the person to move from one place to another.
Since these changes or transitions can be so difficult at these times, a nurse can help to support people with learning disabilities and their families or carers. This nurse is called a Transitions Practitioner and works as part of the Community Learning Disabilities Team.
One of the many important changes in a young person’s life is when they leave school. This can be difficult for people with learning disabilities and very difficult if that person has many health needs.
There are many decisions to be made at this time and some young people and their families may want or need help to make these decisions.
The decisions may be about what the young person wants to do with their life and how to keep healthy.
The Transitions Practitioner will support the young person, family/carers to decide what they want and tell other people how they would like to be supported.
The Transitions Practitioner will work with other people to make sure the young person’s needs are considered. The help each person may get depends on many things but most importantly it depends on what the person wants and needs to have a healthy life
Moving out of an area you know well or moving into an area you don’t know well can be difficult and stressful.
Some people may want or need help to stay healthy at these times. This nurse can also support people with learning disabilities and their families/carers if they decide to move into or out of Lanarkshire, to live in another area.
Getting older is a stressful time for some people and people with learning disabilities may have more health needs than other older people. This means that they may need more support to keep healthy. This would be another time the nurse may be needed to support someone to get the help they need.
The help each person may get depends on many things but most importantly it depends on what the person wants and needs to have a healthy life. This means that the person will be supported to make decisions about the life they would want to have. This may be very difficult for some people but there are many trained professionals within the team that can help with this.
The Transitions Practitioner also works with other professionals like social workers to make sure that all the persons needs are considered.
The Transitions Practitioner will also check that the needs of the people that use the service are met satisfactorily.
Local Services
- Bereavement Support Group
- Young Person-Adult & Out of Area Transition Clinic’s
- Growing Old with Learning Disabilities (GOLD) in development
- Growing Old with Dementia and Downs syndrome (GODDS) in development