Cally Ward gathered views from a range of people with learning disabilities, who often have high levels of unmet health needs as a result of the inequalities they have experienced in the health system.
Contributors talk about:
- Coming to later life with their own unique life experiences and hopes and fears for the future.
- The work of the Growing Older with a Learning Disability (GOLD) group and older families from the Sharing Caring Project.
- Valuing the opportunity to speak for themselves, having someone spend time with them and listen to what they had to say. This is especially difficult if people have communication difficulties.
- The fact that independence has brought new risks - people with learning disabilities are often exposed to bullying and hate crime.