Aging with intellectual disability. Current health issues
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Joav Merrick
Abstract
Over the past decade we have observed an increase in life-span for people with intellectual disability (ID), which can be seen as the consequence of progress in medical technology and improved social awareness in the 20th century. In the past, most individuals with ID died at a young age due to their additional medical problems, congenital malformations and infections with the result that very few survived into adulthood or went through the aging process. This trend has resulted in not only pediatricians but now also adult physicians involved in the management of this population, and currently we, in fact, really see the first generation of aging individuals with ID, which is a challenge for service providers. Older people with ID have the same needs as other older people do and they are subject to the same age-related impairments and illnesses. Moreover, because many disabled individuals live together with their families, the burden is double because the family members are also aging and with time will not be able to continue their care-giving. Medical needs from pediatric to adult care can be met by enrollment in universal healthcare or programs. Periodic health assessments and healthcare should be normalized and provided as an overall system of support, when needed or as assistance provided for the adequate self-directed use of general or specialty health services. Risk assessments and health reviews should be part of the individual's life plan and provided to detect diseases and conditions that could compromise longevity. This field of medicine also needs to evaluate the applicability of a new discipline of lifespan developmental medicine to lead in interdisciplinary care, healthcare education, service delivery and research for people with ID within an academic framework.
©2010 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin New York
Articles in the same Issue
- Editorial
- Adults with childhood illness
- Reviews
- Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Epidemiology, assessment, and treatment among children, adolescents, and adults
- Caring for adults with cystic fibrosis
- Childhood asthma in adults
- Cyanotic congenital heart defects in adult patients
- Obstructive and regurgitant cardiac lesions in adults who had childhood heart disease
- Adults with left-to-right cardiac shunts and with shunts treated in childhood
- Transition of pediatric endocrine patients to adult care
- Adolescents and adults with inborn errors of metabolism
- Adults who had kidney disease in childhood
- Adult survivors of childhood cancer
- Adults with genetic syndromes
- Adult considerations of pediatric urologic care
- Adult patients with childhood anemias
- Disabled women and reproductive healthcare in the United States
- Children with allergic disease as adults
- Adults with congenital bleeding disorders
- Aging with intellectual disability. Current health issues
- Short Communication
- Transition from pediatric to adult care: social and family issues
Articles in the same Issue
- Editorial
- Adults with childhood illness
- Reviews
- Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Epidemiology, assessment, and treatment among children, adolescents, and adults
- Caring for adults with cystic fibrosis
- Childhood asthma in adults
- Cyanotic congenital heart defects in adult patients
- Obstructive and regurgitant cardiac lesions in adults who had childhood heart disease
- Adults with left-to-right cardiac shunts and with shunts treated in childhood
- Transition of pediatric endocrine patients to adult care
- Adolescents and adults with inborn errors of metabolism
- Adults who had kidney disease in childhood
- Adult survivors of childhood cancer
- Adults with genetic syndromes
- Adult considerations of pediatric urologic care
- Adult patients with childhood anemias
- Disabled women and reproductive healthcare in the United States
- Children with allergic disease as adults
- Adults with congenital bleeding disorders
- Aging with intellectual disability. Current health issues
- Short Communication
- Transition from pediatric to adult care: social and family issues
