Exploring Retirement for Individuals With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: An Analysis of National Core Indicators Data

Transition to retirement: The lived experiences of adults with intellectual disabilities

BACKGROUND

Adults with intellectual disabilities are living longer and experiencing retirement. However, research about retirement experiences is limited.

METHOD

This qualitative study used semi-structured interviews with 10 retired/retiring U.S. adults with intellectual disabilities and an ally of their choice.

RESULTS

Participants described factors that pushed or pulled them into retirement, such as health issues or wanting to spend more time with family. Individuals in community work settings described greater self-determination in their decision to retire. Regardless of reasons for retiring, all participants described initial difficulties with adjusting to retirement but over time people's situation, including their mental and physical health, reportedly improved.

CONCLUSION

Retirement is a significant life transition. More attention is needed about planning and developing age-appropriate and person-cantered inclusive retirement options for older adults with intellectual disabilities, similar to the transition into adulthood and work life.

Assessment of work ability decline in workers with intellectual and developmental disabilities

BACKGROUND: People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) experience work ability decline through aging and disability (WADAD), conceptualized as the process of deterioration in work ability resulting from the interaction between disability and aging, which has a direct impact on their job. OBJECTIVE: There is a need to focus on how this decline can be detected and to identify the main areas and indicators of WADAD in people with IDD, in order to build a targeted prototype assessment tool to determine a prevention protocol that extends people’s positive working lives for as long as possible. METHODS: We employed a literature review, Delphi panel, and working group through Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment (MOODLE). RESULTS: We created a tool, composed of 76 items, 6 dimensions, and 17 indicators, to assess WADAD in people with IDD. CONCLUSIONS: The indicators identified can be used to develop prevention and/or intervention protocols for WADAD and to produce guidance for the transition toward retirement, specifically for people with IDD. This tool helps extend the satisfying working lives— with support— of people with IDD, promoting social inclusion and participation as workers and not as pensioners.

Community employment, facility-based work, and day activities for working age people with intellectual and developmental disability

BACKGROUND: Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disability (IDD) participate in a variety of day/employment activities including community-based activities and work and facility-based activities and work. These different activities have important implications for community inclusion and economic independence. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to use the National Core Indicators-In person Survey (NCI-IPS) to explore the prevalence of day/employment activities for adult service users with IDD and to determine what personal and environmental factors are related to each type of activity. METHODS: The data analyzed in this study come from the 2018-19 National Core Indicators (NCI), a survey of adult services users with IDD in the U.S. We used descriptive statistics and multinominal logistic regression to explore how the various covariates differentially relate to the four day/employment activity types. RESULTS: A variety of personal and environmental characteristics were associated with each type of activity. Characteristics related to equity (e.g., race and gender) and support needs (e.g., mental health) were associated with less community-based work. CONCLUSIONS: This study was the first, to our knowledge, to describe the complexity of day/employment activities individuals with IDD experience in terms of prevalence and overlap. Further, this study provides evidence that certain profiles are leading to different experiences and that services do impact service users employment opportunities.

Mental health of older people with mild and moderate intellectual disability in Australia

BACKGROUND

The progressive increase in life expectancy of people with intellectual disability (ID) has resulted in enhanced survival into old age and has also seen a growth in research on both lifelong and emerging ageing-related health issues. Health issues amongst provider-supported adults have been previously studied, but these studies have not always included older community-dwelling adults with ID.

METHODS

A study examining the extent of mental health of 391 community-dwelling adults with ID age 60 and older in both metropolitan and rural areas of two East Coast Australian states was undertaken using a cross-sectional survey. Examined were a range of demographic (age, sex, living arrangements, employment and socio-economic status) and life (co-morbidities, adverse life events and social support) factors. Data were parsed by two age groupings (60-65: n = 234 and >65: n = 157).

RESULTS

Findings revealed that older community-dwelling adults with ID have many of the same mental health disorders as do other ageing people, with the exception of significant psychiatric disorders often associated with older age. Over a third (35%: n = 137) reported some one or more mental health disorders. Age, sex, location (rural or urban), financial hardship, social support or type of living arrangement were not statistically significant as risk factors for poor mental health. However, employment status was a clear predictor. Stepwise regression models showed a strong association between mental ill-health and adverse life events and between mental ill-health and multiple physical co-morbidities.

CONCLUSIONS

The cross-sectional nature of the study limits causal inference. The cumulative effect of chronic health conditions and adverse life events cannot be prevented retrospectively. However, greater awareness amongst both health professionals and care staff that older adults with ID have a high likelihood of significant and/or repeated traumas and need better health care to limit physical co-morbidity may assist in providing support that is better tailored to individual needs in older age to reduce the burden of mental ill-health.