Growing older with an intellectual disability in Ireland 2011

Today people in Europe live longer than ever before. There is a study in Ireland about people with intellectual disabilities growing older. It wants to show what kind of problems people with intellectual disabilities have when they grow older and what helps them stay active in society.

A recent study in Ireland was focused on understanding the challenges and key influences of successful ageing for people with intellectual disabilities, identifying what risks their health in old age and what enables them to live as healthy and active as possible. Entitled “Growing older with an intellectual disability in Ireland”, the study was conducted by the Trinity College Dublin involving 753 people with intellectual disabilities over the age of 40 years. Based on their interviews, the report highlighted higher levels of physical, mental and social-health problems, which get worse as people with intellectual disabilities grow older.

More precisely, the findings showed that people with intellectual disabilities over the age of 40 have higher levels of chronic illness compared to the rest of the population at the same age. Moreover, 1 in 5 of the participants had been diagnosed with depression while at the same time the rate of depression in the general population is 1 in 20.

Nevertheless, the study also revealed that the majority of the participants were satisfied with their lives, they had hobbies and they participated in various activities. On the other hand, more than half of them admitted that they sometimes felt lonely.

With the 2012 European Year being devoted to Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations, this research proves to be more than timely. To face the demographic challenge, Europe has to respond to the different needs of different categories of citizens, as they grow older and create equal opportunities for older citizens with intellectual disabilities to keep playing an active role in society.

To read the study, click here.

To find out more about the 2012 European Year of Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations, read this article.

Source: The Irish Times