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Beset by obstacles: a review of Australian policy development to support ageing in place for people with intellectual disability
- Author:
- BIGBY Christine
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disability, 33(1), March 2008, pp.76-86.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Australian government policy regards people with intellectual disability (ID) as citizens with equal rights, which means that they should have access to the same opportunities as the wider community. Ageing in place is central to aged care policy in Australia for the general population. This paper reviews policy to support the provision of similar opportunities to age in place for people with ID, and the reasons for its slow development. Due to lifestyle patterns earlier in the life course, many people with ID experience a mid-life disruption to their accommodation, and may live in a group home as they age or may move prematurely to residential aged care. The absence of mechanisms to adjust disability funding as needs change, and the existence of policy that denies residents in group homes access to community-based aged care, forces disability services to “go it alone” to support ageing in place. Despite a national priority to improve the interface between the disability and aged care sectors, administrative and funding characteristics continue to obstruct the development of implementation strategies to support ageing in place for people with ID, which remain at the stage of an exploration of the issues.
Ageing people with a lifelong disability: challenges for the aged care and disability sectors
- Author:
- BIGBY Christine
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disability, 27(4), December 2002, pp.231-241.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
This article compares and contrasts Australian policy directions in aged care and disability. Using people with intellectual disability as an exemplar of those who are ageing with a lifelong disability, the paper analyses their location within and the services offered to them by each sector. The paper argues that neither sector adequately addresses the issues raised by the needs of this group and suggests why this is so. Directions for policy and service developments necessary to ensure that the needs of this growing population are met are suggested. These are broadly categorised as; systematically bridging existing gaps with specialist services; supporting inclusion and ensuring older people with lifelong disability are visible within the aged care system; adapting and resourcing the disability sector to facilitate ageing in place; and developing partnerships and joint planning aimed at the removal of cross- and intra-sector obstacles to accessing appropriate services.