In Ep.216 of the Sports Therapy Association Podcast, entitled 'The Patient No-One Told You How To Treat', host Matt Phillips is joined by special guest Alistair Beverley, Director of LDPhysio.com, promoting and improving healthcare services for those with learning and lifelong physical disabilities. Alistair will presenting in the STA Theatre at Therapy Expo this year, at 2.25pm on Day 1 (Nov 27th), discussing the skills we as soft therapists can take from learning how best to support patients with a Learning Disability, something most of us are certainly not taught in our training. With around 1.5 million people in the UK having a learning disability, Alistair emphasizes the importance of understanding and improving healthcare services for this community. The conversation delves into the concept of diagnostic overshadowing, where symptoms are wrongly attributed to a patient's circumstances, be it a learning disability, their age, or even their gender. Alistair highlights the need for better education and awareness among healthcare providers to prevent such errors and improve patient outcomes. Additionally, listeners are introduced to Violet, a rescue dog with mobility issues whose life Alistair and his family saved. We recommend you watch the video recording of this episode on the Sports Therapy Association YouTube to see Violet's amazing journey. Violet becomes a metaphor for resilience and the power of small actions in making a big difference. Alistair's story of adopting and rehabilitating Violet serves as an inspiring reminder of the impact of empathy and tailored care, not just for animals but for patients with unique needs. Chapter Markers: 00:00:00 - Welcome to the Sports Therapy Association Podcast 00:01:47 - Welcome Alistair Beverley 00:05:49 - Alistair’s Journey to specialising in Learning Disabilities 00:07:48 - Understanding Diagnostic Overshadowing 00:10:04 - Importance of Awareness in Healthcare 00:16:25 - Defining Learning Difficulties vs. Disabilities vs Mental Health 00:22:32 - Exploring Autism and Its Misconceptions 00:26:46 - Preview of Alistair’s Presentations at Therapy Expo 00:28:00 - The Need for Confidence in Healthcare 00:42:04 - Introducing Violet the rescue dog 00:52:37 - Adapting Communication in Clinical Practice 00:55:01 - The Power of Small Changes 00:57:59 - Final Thoughts and next episiode preview Useful Links Twitter: @Martin_Nekkolai Twitter: The Friday Physio Confession Podcast @TheFPCPodcast Website: https://thefridayphysioconfessionpodcast.alitu.com/ Want to join the live recordings? Episodes of the Sports Therapy Association podcast are recorded live every TUESDAY at 8pm on the Sports Therapy Association YOUTUBE CHANNEL and FACEBOOK page. Everyone is welcome - you do not have to be an STA member! If you cannot join us live, be sure to subscribe to the 'Sports Therapy Association Podcast' on all popular podcast apps to be notified when new episodes are available. Please Support Our Podcast! If you appreciate what we do, please take a couple of minutes to leave us a rating & review on Apple Podcasts. It really does make all the difference in helping us reach out to a larger audience. iPhone users you can do this from your phone, Android users you will need to do it from iTunes. Questions? Email: [email protected]

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