It’s only natural that you have questions

Combining independent living with person-centred support can be a really good option for people with learning disabilities. It enables them to have their own space and be their own person, whilst receiving the learning disabilities support they need from their visiting care team in their own home. This combination of independence and expert support is often referred to as supported living.

The cost of supported living for learning disabilities is calculated by adding up living costs (such as rent, household bills and groceries) and the cost of the individual’s bespoke package of learning disability care. Depending upon the individual’s circumstances, they may be eligible for financial assistance with one or both of these elements of their total supported living expenses. They may also meet the criteria for Extra Care Housing (ECH) through their Local Authority, which consists of self-contained accommodation, such as an accessible flat or bungalow, within a supported housing scheme, with 24/7 on-site support staff available.

There is no single approach to caring for people with learning disabilities, as a learning disability can affect different people in different ways, and with a different severity of symptoms.

Someone with a mild learning disability may only need minimal support to live a full and fulfilling life, perhaps assistance with securing employment or a voluntary placement, or help to understand and manage their household bills. By contrast, someone with a severe or profound learning disability may need round-the-clock, specialist learning disability care to manage all aspects of their daily life.

As a result of this, there are a wide variety of services available for learning disabilities. These can include everything from positive behaviour support to manage behaviours that challenge, to assistance transitioning from child to adult learning disability care services, or help to enable an adult with learning disabilities to make the move from hospital to a home of their own. There is also specific support available to assist individuals with daily tasks, with building life and social skills, and with short-term emergency support to help safely navigate a period of personal crisis.

All person-centred learning disabilities support services aim to build confidence, independence and life skills, supporting people with learning disabilities to live the life they choose.

Like all specialist care, learning disability support should be person-centred and tailored to the unique requirements of the individual, taking into account the tasks that they find challenging, as well as their ambitions and preferences in life. This is not so much of an adjustment to care, as an individually-tailored learning disabilities support plan which is designed to meet specific needs.

Caring for people with learning disabilities in their own home is about enabling and empowering them to live the life they choose – helping them to build the skills and confidence they need to become more independent, feel more in control of their life choices, and better able to communicate their needs and preferences.

By understanding the individual as a person, rather than a diagnosis, and using proactive, positive behaviour support, specialist learning disability care has the potential to empower, transform and change lives for the better.