A Forgotten Population: Seniors with Developmental Disabilities

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According to Heller and Factor (as cited in Wood & Jackson, 2003) the number of “older adults age 60 and older who are diagnosed with mental retardation or developmental disabilities is expected to reach 1,065,000 by 2030.” In fact, “in the last 30 years, the life expectancy of people with intellectual disability has increased more dramatically than that of the general population” (Bigby, 2010). Doka and Lavin (2003) report that advances in medical care and a shift to deinstitutionalization have contributed to this increase in life expectancy for developmentally disabled adults. Increasingly, federal policy has linked addressing the housing needs of older adults with those of low-income and non-elderly disabled individuals, according to Annie Thombs, former Community Development Administrator for the City of Gastonia (personal communication, March 30, 2011). The assumption that the housing and service needs of all three populations can be met under the same fiscal and policy umbrella has created challenges for social service agencies and health care providers dealing with developmentally disabled seniors who “tend to reside more in family or small-group settings rather than independently” (Sterns and Ansello, 2008, p. 186). In effect, federal housing policies have failed to address the unique problems associated with elderly individuals suffering from developmental disabilities, according to Doka and Lavin (2003). This paper will examine federal housing policy, specifically the Fair Housing Act, which was enacted to ensure availability of existing housing to all persons, including older adults with developmental disabilities, as reported by Thombs (personal communication, March 30, 2011). Further, an examination of public housing ... ... middle of paper ... ...partment of Housing and Urban Development. (2010, July 14). The state of fair housing: Annual report on fair housing FY 2009, pp. 1-103. Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved March 1, 2011 from http://www.hud.gov/content/releases/fy2009annual-rpt.pdf Wood, J. & Jackson, L. (2003). Future planning among parents and guardians of adults with developmental disabilities in a residential facility, NADD Bulletin, 6(3)(1). Retrieved April 2, 2011 from National Association for the Dually Diagnosed Web site: http://www.thenadd.org/cgi-bin/checkmember.pl?page=pages/membership/bulletins/v6n3a1 Ziaja, E. (2002, March 5). Do independent and assisted living communities violate the Fair Housing Amendments Act and the Americans With Disabilities Act? Elder Law Journal 9(2), pp. 313-317. Retrieved March 31, 2011 from http://www.law.illinois.edu/elderlaw/issues/vol_9/num_2/pdf/ziaja.pdf

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