Keeping Seniors with Developmental Disabilities in the Community

Keeping Seniors with Developmental Disabilities in the  Community By Pamela Merkle, Executive Director, Association on Aging with Developmental Disabilities Thanks to medical advances, people with developmental disabilities are living longer and that longevity is bringing some very difficult and unexpected challenges. Their parents, who have often been their primary caregivers, are passing away and, unlike other seniors, they generally have no adult children to assume that role. It is not unusual for parents of individuals with developmental disabilities to have the mindset that they or other family members will always be around to take care of their loved one. Very often this is not the case. As the “network of support” starts fraying, people with developmental disabilities are often misdiagnosed and under-treated, running the risk of spending their “golden years” in an institution-contrary to the spirit of the Olmstead decision. When asked, many people with developmental disabilities will say, with sadness, that when they can no longer care for themselves, they will have to go to a nursing home. The Association on Aging with Developmental Disabilities (AADD), in St. Louis, Missouri, launched an initiative this past January to provide a safety net for this population. The cost of long-term care continues to rise, with that cost now ranging from $6,500 to $12,500 per month. Therefore, enabling these individuals to age in their own homes, which is the choice of most seniors, is both economically and socially responsible. It has also been shown that staying in familiar surroundings and maintaining as much activity as is physically possible will lengthen the life of individuals with developmental disabilities. Their activity could drastically decrease in a long-term care setting. To read the rest of the article, please click on the above title. To access the CDR Library catalog, please click on this link.