Have you ever heard of the Fatal 5?
The Fatal 5 are the five most common causes of death for people with an intellectual disability living in congregate care (supported group living environment).
The Fatal 5 are:
Constipation
Aspiration
Dehydration
Seizures
Sepsis
The really scary fact about the Fatal 5 is how common some of these common causes of death are.
If you are a Direct Support Professional, a family member of a person with an intellectual disability, or a person living with an intellectual disability – you have likely had experience with most, if not all, of the Fatal 5.
At Community Living Windsor, we provide support daily to people living with these conditions and risk factors.
Because they are so common we are making Fatal 5 training and awareness a focus of our annual employee training, as well as rolling out an awareness campaign in the coming weeks.
Another scary fact about the Fatal 5, is they share so many risk factors – and some are actually risk factors for each other – diabetes is a risk factor of constipation and dehydration AND dehydration is a risk factor for constipation and seizures!
This reinforces the importance of knowing the people we support and understanding their heathy baseline. We need to be present when providing support, and aware of changes in people’s moods, behaviours, energy levels – when something is outside of the norm, or just doesn’t seem right, take action and seek medical attention.
Continue reading below for details about some of the risk factors, signs to look for, and preventative measures that may help minimize the risk of the Fatal 5.
Take a look at all the common links between the 5 (underlined below), and any where one of the Fatal 5 is a risk factor for another its italicized.
