LEARNING DISABILITY SERVICES

Learning Disability Services 142,376 HOURS OF SUPPORT

OVER A THOUSAND PEOPLE LIVING IN ABERDEEN HAVE A LEARNING DISABILITY.

At VSA, we provide residential and placement support for adults living with a wide range of learning disabilities.

A learning disability is life long and there are many different types. Often, a person living with a learning disability will have been diagnosed with more than one condition. Some of the more commonly known conditions associated with a learning disability include Autism, Asperger’s, Down’s Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, and challenging behaviours.

Each person, their level of disability, and the condition they are living with is unique to them. The level of disability can range from being mild to moderate or severe to profound. Most people are born with a learning disability; however, a learning disability can also occur after birth.

Causes of a learning disability include:

• Early childhood seizures, illnesses or accidents

• Being deprived of oxygen at birth

• Being born very prematurely

• Genetics - while a baby is developing in the womb it might develop certain genes or genetic mutations that can cause a condition linked with a learning disability

A learning disability is different from a learning difficulty and often people get the two confused. People living with a learning disability have reduced intellectual capabilities and struggle with everyday activities such as money management, socialising and household tasks. A learning disability affects all aspects of their life. As life progresses, we understand that families will naturally worry about how their loved one will manage and cope with the challenges that life presents, particularly in adulthood. If you are caring for a person living with a learning disability we know that one area of concern will be who will care for, or support your loved one when you are no longer able to do so.

At VSA, we have residential and day placements options for adults living with a learning disability. Our goal is to help the person we care for develop the skills they need so that they can realise their dreams and lead an independent and integrated life.

Last year we supported 20 adults residentially and we expanded our service to be able to provide support at home for people living with a learning disability across Aberdeen City. This can be done through our Care at Home or VSA Connect Service.

The past year was very challenging due to the UK-wide ‘lockdown level’ restrictions imposed by the government to all households. For the adults we support residentially through our Learning Disability Craigton Grove service this had a significant impact on their daily routines. The team worked hard to support each adult by coming up with creative ways in which to keep the people we support active, engaged and cognitively stimulated.