July 27, 2017
We know that people with a learning disability have worse health than other people, and die sooner than they should.
They are 58 times more likely to die before the age of 50, and 4 times more likely to have a preventable cause of death. (Disability Rights Commission, 2006; Department of Health, 2008.)
Earlier this year, we were given some money from the NHS to help solve this problem.
But where should we start?
There are a lot of problems when it comes to making health and health services more equal, but we wanted to give people with a learning disability a simple message to take control of their health.
The message we are telling people is: claim your right to a free health check, be more active, and eat healthy food.
We made a film, following a character called Steve, with the aim of inspiring people to do these three things.
We also included a section about finding a job or volunteer role, because employment has proven benefits to somebody’s health and well-being.
You can watch the film here:
https://vimeo.com/225419333
