Overmedication of off-label use of psychotropic medicines to address behaviours of concern in people with intellectual and developmental disabilities is a major public health concern. Disability support workers (DSWs) play a pivotal role in supporting adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities who are prescribed psychotropic medicines. Therefore, there is an urgent need to train DSWs to help understand the appropriate use of these medicines. This paper describes the protocol of a project that aims to develop such a programme.

A participatory action framework will underscore the programme and follow a Universal Design for Learning approach. It will be a co-production involving all stakeholders, including people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, their families, members of the disability workforce, healthcare professionals and educational designers. The programme will be developed using the following steps: (a) development of a consumer advisory committee and expert panel groups, (b) an online survey of learning needs analysis, (c) a rapid umbrella review of the relevant literature, (d) focus groups involving participants from different parts of Australia, (e) co-design events in four Australian cities, (f) field testing on 6–12 DSWs to determine any practical difficulties of implementing the programme, (g) a feasibility trial involving at least 1200 DSWs using a train-the-trainer model and online resources and (h) a mixed-method process evaluation using interviews of a purposive sample of trainees and online questionnaire survey.

Ethics approval will be sought at each stage of the co-design process. Each step of the project will include an academic language paper and Easy Read report developed. The training programme will be shared across Australia, with DSWs able to complete the project for free. We expect the training will help improve DSWs’ knowledge of appropriate psychotropic medicine prescribing in people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, confidence in effectively communicating with health professionals and using non-pharmacological approaches to support behaviours of concern, promote shared decision-making with clients, advocate for psychotropic medicine reviews by healthcare professionals, encourage positive interactions with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families and self-reflection on their own behaviour and attitude can influence their client and behaviours of concern.

This study aimed to assess the associations between childhood adverse socioeconomic conditions and intrinsic capacity in older adults using an integrative approach to ageing.

A cross-sectional study.

We used data from the Lausanne Cohort 65+, a population-based longitudinal study that has been conducted in Lausanne, Switzerland, since 2004.

Lausanne citizens aged 67–71 years old.

Intrinsic capacity was assessed in 2015 using validated self-reported measures and performance tests. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling was used in a formative approach to calculate the global score of intrinsic capacity and the scores of its domains. Adverse socioeconomic conditions in childhood were retrospectively assessed in 2014 using self-reported measures of financial strain, dietary restrictions and child labour.

The study sample included 1328 individuals. Multivariable regressions revealed that the global score of intrinsic capacity was lower in individuals who reported financial strain (B=–0.15, p=0.029) and dietary restrictions (B=–0.314, p=0.004) in childhood. They further showed an association between financial strain and lower locomotor and sensory capacities (B=–0.173, p=0.011 and B=–0.153, p=0.027, respectively), and between child labour and a lower score on cognition (B=–0.342, p

Our results emphasise the critical role of early life conditions in healthy ageing. They highlight the importance of financial support for families and access to nutrition.