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The nature and quality of friendship for older adults with an intellectual disability in Ireland
- Authors:
- McCAUSLAND Darren, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 34(3), 2021, pp.763-776.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Background: Friendship is important to quality of life, yet people with intellectual disability have more restricted social networks and fewer friends outside family and support staff. Method: Data from a nationally representative longitudinal study of older adults with intellectual disability (aged >40) examined rates and types of friends. Factors associated with having a best friend and friendship quality were explored. Results: A large majority (92.4%) had friends but just over half (52%) had a best friend. Co‐resident friends (71.8%) were more common than non‐resident friends (62%), while staff friendships (62.5%) were important. The majority of best friends were peers with intellectual disability (63.2%), carer/service providers (15.9%) or family (8.4%). Challenging behaviour and communication difficulty were associated with reduced likelihood of having a best friend. A best friend with intellectual disability was associated with lower friendship quality scores. Conclusion: Limited choice and social opportunity may result in a precarious form of friendship for older people with intellectual disability that undermines their quality of life. (Edited publisher abstract)
Use of dementia care mapping in the care for older people with intellectual disabilities: a mixed‐method study
- Authors:
- SCHAAP Feija D., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 34(1), 2021, pp.149-163.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Background: The ageing of people with intellectual disabilities, with associated morbidity like dementia, calls for new types of care. Person‐centred methods may support care staff in providing this, an example being Dementia Care Mapping (DCM). DCM has been shown to be feasible in ID‐care. We examined the experiences of ID‐professionals in using DCM. Methods: We performed a mixed‐methods study, using quantitative data from care staff (N = 136) and qualitative data (focus‐groups, individual interviews) from care staff, group home managers and DCM‐in‐intellectual disabilities mappers (N = 53). Results: DCM provided new insights into the behaviours of clients, enabled professional reflection and gave new knowledge and skills regarding dementia and person‐centred care. Appreciation of DCM further increased after the second cycle of application. Conclusion: DCM is perceived as valuable in ID‐care. Further assessment is needed of its effectiveness in ID‐care with respect to quality of care, staff‐client interactions and job performance. (Edited publisher abstract)
Improving healthcare access for older adults with intellectual disability: what are the needs?
- Authors:
- NAVAS Patricia, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 32(6), 2019, pp.1453-1464.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
This qualitative study was carried out in Spain with the aim of identifying the changes that the health system should make to improve healthcare access for older adults with intellectual disability. Three hundred and sixty‐nine family members and professionals expressed their opinion on how healthcare access could be improved. Participants responded to two open‐ended questions included in a general survey about the health status of older individuals with intellectual disability. Most informants were women and professionals who had known the person with intellectual disability for more than 12 months. A system of categories, which showed good inter‐rater agreement, was developed to analyse participants’ written responses. Both family members and professionals emphasized the need to improve disability training for healthcare practitioners and highlighted the urgent need for flexibility in the structure of a healthcare system that currently overlooks the specific needs of this vulnerable population. (Publisher abstract)
Working with older people with learning disabilities: lessons from an Age Concern pilot programme
- Author:
- AGE CONCERN
- Publisher:
- Age Concern
- Publication year:
- 2008
- Pagination:
- 13p.
- Place of publication:
- London
Seeks to develop an understanding of the ageing process, to develop the knowledge and skills required to assess and define the changing needs of people with learning disabilities as they get older and to enhance the quality of life for older people with learning disabilities.
Living on the edge: enabling older owner occupiers with moderate learning disabilities to live independently
- Author:
- EASTERBROOK Lorna
- Publisher:
- Care and Repair England
- Publication year:
- 2008
- Pagination:
- 41p., bibliog.
- Place of publication:
- Nottingham
Increasing numbers of older people with moderate or mild learning disabilities live independently in their own homes - but some are facing crises that limit their abilities to continue to do so. This report looks at the situation facing older owner occupiers who: live in homes needing urgent repairs and/or adaptations; have reached a point of crisis at home; lack some comprehension, or have behavioural difficulties, that adversely affect their abilities to manage their everyday lives; are living in complex situations; or are facing the likelihood of crises recurring in the future.
Staff-averse challenging behaviour in older adults with intellectual disabilities
- Authors:
- HARTLEY Sigan L., MacLEAN William E.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 20(6), November 2007, pp.519-528.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
People with intellectual disabilities are increasingly reaching older adulthood. Little is known about age-related change in the prevalence of challenging behaviours among older adults with intellectual disabilities. The frequency and severity of staff-averse challenging behaviours of 132 older adults with intellectual disabilities was assessed through informant ratings on the Inventory of Client and Agency Planning at two time points 8–10 years apart. There was an intraindividual decline in the frequency and severity of challenging behaviour using both lenient and more restricted definitions of challenging behaviour. There was a low prevalence but high comorbidity of severe challenging behaviour. Level of mental retardation and adaptive behaviour were related to the frequency and severity of challenging behaviour. An understanding of age-related intraindividual change in challenging behaviour has implications for staff wellbeing and optimizing the care of older adults with intellectual disabilities.
Prevalence of dementia in intellectual disability using different diagnostic criteria
- Authors:
- STRYDOM A., et al
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Psychiatry, 191(8), August 2007, pp.150-157.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
Diagnosis of dementia is complex in adults with intellectual disability owing to their pre-existing deficits and different presentation. The aim was to describe the clinical features and prevalence of dementia and its subtypes, and to compare the concurrent validity of dementia criteria in older adults with intellectual disability. The Becoming Older with Learning Disability (BOLD) memory study is a two-stage epidemiological survey of adults with intellectual disability without Down syndrome aged 60 years and older, with comprehensive assessment of people who screen positive. Dementia was diagnosed according to ICD–10, DSM–IV and DC–LD criteria. The DSM–IV dementia criteria were more inclusive. Diagnosis using ICD–10 excluded people with even moderate dementia. Clinical subtypes of dementia can be recognised in adults with intellectual disability. Alzheimer’s dementia was the most common, with a prevalence of 8.6% (95% CI 5.2–13.0), almost three times greater than expected. Dementia is common in older adults with intellectual disability, but prevalence differs according to the diagnostic criteria used. This has implications for clinical practice.
Supporting older families: making a real difference
- Author:
- MAGRILL Dalia
- Publisher:
- Mental Health Foundation
- Publication year:
- 2005
- Pagination:
- 107p.
- Place of publication:
- London
Older families are a priority group for support, but it is important that their needs are linked in to the mainstream agendas of services for people with learning disabilities, older people and carers generally. It is important that we make sure that older families have their needs met now, and are supported to remain together for as long as they wish whilst planning for the future with confidence. However, it is equally important that we get things right for older families now so that others who are growing older do not face the same anxieties, uncertainty and fears that so many older family carers have lived with for decades.
Implementation of 'improving the life chances of disabled people': Age Concern's response
- Author:
- AGE CONCERN
- Publisher:
- Age Concern
- Publication year:
- 2005
- Pagination:
- 5p.
- Place of publication:
- London
'Improving the Life Chances of Disabled People' states that, by 2025, disabled people should have full opportunities and choices to improve their quality of life and be respected and included as equal members of society.
A comparison of joint reviews and life plans in a hospital population of older people with learning difficulties
- Authors:
- DAGNAN D.J., STURMEY P.
- Journal article citation:
- Mental Handicap Research, 6(4), 1993, pp.346-357.
- Publisher:
- BIMH Publications
Reports research which compared goals set using a structured individual planning system (the STEP Life Plan) with those set in the locally developed joint health and social service review system that preceded it. The structured system lead to improvement in both the quality and goals set and the potential for client and family involvement in the planning process.