Photo: IHC
A new report reveals that the health outcomes for intellectually disabled New Zealanders have barely improved over the past 20 years, and that they continue to experience more deprivation and unemployment.
The report was commissioned by the IHC, a service provider for people with intellectual disabilities, and based on Integrated Data Infrastructure from Stats NZ which holds de-identified microdata about people and households.
It showed that people with intellectual disabilities continue to live up to about 20 years less than the general population - similar to the life expectancy gap of 23 years revealed by data from 2008.
As early as 2003, the National Advisory Committee on Health and Disability had been calling for an end to the neglect of health issues for people with intellectual disabilities, highlighting that many adults with an intellectual disability endured prolonged suffering from health conditions that were treatable, relievable and curable, yet receive inadequate medical management.
IHC advocate Shara Turner told Nine to Noon that it continued to be a grim reality for the demographic.
"It tells us that pretty much in every area of life people with intellectual [disabilities] are not getting good outcomes - they have life expectancy 20 years less, they're more likely to have nearly every health condition, 16 more times more likely to be treated for psychosis.
'They're more likely to have nearly every health condition' - IHC advocate Shara Turner
"I think like 40, 44 percent of Pacific children live in a mouldy home, are seven times more likely to be placed in state care as children, 16 more times likely to lose their children to the state if they're a parent with intellectual disability," she said.
Turner said despite sharing the similar rates of GP attendance as the general population, the health outcomes for people with intellectual disabilities were much worse.
She said they experienced higher rates of going to the emergency department, and being hospitalised for avoidable health conditions.
"Obviously there's a disconnect there between the GP, if they're going to the GP as much as everyone else, why aren't these things getting caught?"
Turner said there was often communication issues contributing to that disconnect, and that there was a lack of health advocacy for the group.
She said since 2007, IHC has been advocating for a government funded annual comprehensive health check for people with intellectual disabilities.
New Zealand could learn from countries like the UK and Australia where there were better systems in place, said Turner.
Both countries had a state funded annual health check for intellectually disabled people, and Australia had a road map for improving advocacy and health knowledge of the group, she said.
There are about 47,000 people with intellectual disability living in New Zealand.