28 February 2009

There is a big gap between the health of people with an intellectual disability and the rest of the population, says Pact clinician educator Matthew Peppercorn (pictured left). Pact is doing its bit to help close that gap.

Around the world, including in New Zealand, governments are acknowledging the gap and doing their best to improve service users’ physical health.

Recognising that the Ministry of Health may come out with its own health check soon, Matthew and Pact healthy lifestyles coordinator Johanna Grotenhuis (pictured above right) have come up with an interim two-page health checklist for Pact staff to use.

“What we don’t want to happen is to implement a health check system that gets kyboshed by the government when whatever it is they do comes out,” says Johanna. “We’re trying to just get people thinking along those lines so it’s not a big shock when whatever it is [the government does] happens.”

Johanna says the checklist will prompt people to ask certain questions.

“Is the client doing this, this and this or here is a list of symptoms to look out for,” Johanna says.

“The overall goal is to look at the primary health model,” Matthew says. “Picking up health problems earlier through adequate screening and using normal things like dentistry, and audiology and optometry.”

Matthew says that as institutions closed down, identification of physical health problems often fell between the cracks between health and social services – with each assuming the other would take on the role.

He says Pact is working with primary health organisations and looking at what GPs would use.

“Our aim is to close those gaps in a dynamic, meaningful way. It’s about cooperation between health services and social services and bridging that gap between the two.”

Research shows the health gap is a very real problem. In 2007 pre-tournament health screening of Kiwi Special Olympics athletes (who as elite athletes would be expected to be in reasonable shape) found 40% had missing teeth and 27% had never had their eyes examined.

Johanna says often people with an intellectual disability are not able to communicate health issues.

“I could get a sore throat and I know I need to do something about it, whereas with somebody with an intellectual disability it might show up as a behaviour. We won’t catch everything before it happens, but we might catch some things, particularly things that might be horrible to get.”

Matthew says organisations like Pact can help by making experiences in the health system as positive as possible, eg ensuring visits to the doctor are an enjoyable experience rather than being daunting.