Community services available to older adults with intellectual disabilities

As older adults with intellectual disabilities live longer and reside in community-based accommodation, the availability of support programs and services becomes important to the maintenance of independent living. One hundred and sixty-two community-based organisations in Brisbane, Australia, that assist older adults or people with intellectual disabilities were surveyed regarding the types of programs offered to older adults with intellectual disabilities. The results showed that only 36% of the organisations had provided assistance to an older adult with an intellectual disability in the past 12 months. Agencies assisting people with disabilities were more likely to have provided services to this group than organisations assisting the general older population. None of the agencies surveyed reported that they provided specialised programs or services to older adults with intellectual disabilities.