New Form Helps Determining Socialization-Related Health Risks for People with IDDNew Form Helps Determining Socialization-Related Health Risks for People with IDD
Research studies have shown that people with IDD are up to 3x more likely to die from COVID-19 and complications compared to people without IDD. How can we determine the level of health risks incurred by these persons?
A population with support needs
People with IDD are more likely than the general population to live in group homes. They often rely on support givers for help with daily routines. Because of COVID-19, both people with IDD and support givers have been subject to social distancing rules and lockdowns, just as the general population. Unfortunately, these exceptional measures interrupt routines and prevent personal growth and development. In doing so they impose on persons with IDD a greater risk of serious issues like neglect — even abuse.
“The pandemic disproportionately affects people who live with IDD, making them more vulnerable to problems like loneliness and disruptions in services providing educational or therapeutic support“, explains Dr. Craig Escudé, President of Health Risk Screening, Inc. “There must be a way to help decide whether it’s appropriate for people with IDD to continue on with certain social activities connecting them with others which helps reduce risks of isolation, depression and anxiety associated with limited social contact.”
This COVID-related massive disruption in health, home and community services impacts negatively the population of people with IDD in the US (estimated at 7 million individuals). Studies show up to 70% of this population has lost some of their normal health services. As many as 74% has lost one or more services entirely.
What are these services?
Many of these services — such as Special Ed programs for youths with IDD — rely on interpersonal relationships between the youth support givers, who may help with physical positioning, toileting, feeding, etc.
Often, these support givers are essential for helping prevent infection among people with IDD. When these services are suspended, people with IDD may fall further behind academically, or suffer from behavioral setbacks as they lose the structure of a daily routine.
How can this be mitigated? How do support givers know they can safely help their protégés return to normalcy?
The “Risk/Benefit Return to Activity” Form
Dr. Escudé‘s company developed the Risk/Benefit Return to Activity Form, to help guide support givers in their decisions.
The tool addresses several key areas of risk:
- personal,
- situational,
- health
The purpose is to help answer a complex question: Certain activities carry potential risks; does the return to such activities present benefits that outweigh their risks?
Among the risk data assessed using the form:
- Can the person with IDD easily comply with social distancing rules?
- Is the current exposure to COVID of the location of the activity considered to be reasonable by the health authorities?
- Does the person with IDD suffer from immunocompromising conditions?
To find out whether the benefits outweigh the risks:
- Does the person with IDD earn a living in this activity?
- Is socialization an important factor in the person’s anxiety, mood, mental status, behavior, or mental health disorder?
Decision time
Once the risks and benefits have be clearly laid out using the Form, support givers can share them with their teams and the primary decision-makers. The data will help form a consensus on the advisability of exposing the person with IDD to increased health risks in the course of a return to more normal living circumstances.
Dr. Escudé and his team have made the form available to anyone caring for a person with IDD. It can be downloaded here.
