Avoidable deaths among learning disabled adults still above general population
Avoidable deaths among learning disabled adults almost double of general population
- A new report reveals that while the proportion of avoidable deaths among adults with a learning disability has decreased, it remains almost double that of the general population in the UK.
- The 2023 Learning from Lives and Deaths report (LeDeR) found that 38.8% of deaths among adults with a learning disability were avoidable, compared to 21.6% for the general population.
- Adults with a learning disability died on average 19.5 years younger than the general population in 2023, with their average age at death being 62.5 years.
- The most common causes of avoidable deaths for this group included flu and pneumonia, cancers of the digestive organs, and coronary heart disease.
- The report also highlighted that adults from ethnic minority groups with a learning disability had a younger median age at death than white adults, prompting calls from charities and officials for improved care and data.