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Meeting the Health Care Needs of Older Adults with Developmental Disabilities
 From the December 2001 Disabilities newsletter.When asked for the most important step disability service providers and agencies need to take to meet the health care needs of aging clients, Matthew Janicki didn't hesitate. "Adapt services to older clients. Supports should move from a vocational to a recreational and socialization focus." Dr. Janicki, who is a research associate professor of human development at the University of Illinois — Chicago, also emphasizes that professionals need to "ensure that health care is accessible." Increasing Physician Awareness Dr. Janicki notes that physicians who understand lifelong developmental disabilities and how they affect older adults are sometimes hard to find. It is essential that physicians be able to identify symptoms of conditions for which older adults with disabilities are at risk, such as Alzheimer's disease, heart conditions, and depression. Even though a condition such as Alzheimer's has no cure, "a physician can intervene to make life easier for the person and his or her family," says Dr. Janicki. While many of these conditions also affect older adults in the general population, Dr. Janicki points out that adults with certain disabilities, such as Down syndrome, can age prematurely. As a result, the life expectancy of a person with Down syndrome is about 10 to 15 years less than a typically developing adult. Therefore physicians need to be aware of the implications of the aging process for an adult with a developmental disability. Strategies for Promoting Better Health One way to prevent certain health problems in older adults is to promote good nutrition and exercise. Dr. Janicki notes that aging adults with developmental disabilities don't always receive nutritious meals or exercise as much as adults in the general population. As a result, obesity is a major concern. Disability professionals can encourage exercise by introducing older adults to recreational activities in the community. This requires agencies and service providers to change the focus of their programming to meet the needs of adults as they age. The goal should be "supporting people where they are, instead of referring them to long-term care," Dr. Janicki says emphatically. The challenge facing disability service providers in the future, notes Dr. Janicki, is to obtain the necessary resources to allocate to services specifically geared to older adults. Staff development and training, funding, and planning are all needed to respond to an aging population. It is also important to support the families of adults with developmental disabilities, as aging parents help their sons and daughters make the transition from the family home to their own living arrangements. ** Dr. Janicki is pleased to report that the U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. David Satcher, recently organized a listening session and a conference to discuss the health care needs of children and adults with mental retardation. Dr. Janicki hopes that the soon-to-be-released action plan will serve as a stimulant to the planning of more services for aging adults with disabilities. **
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