Prevalence of older people with intellectual disability in Sweden: a spatial epidemiological analysis.
Northern Sweden holds twice as many older adults with ID—move resources north before caseloads spike.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Researchers counted every adult 55 and older with intellectual disability (ID) in Sweden.
They used national registers from 2004-2012 and mapped where these adults lived.
The team wanted to see if some counties had more older adults with ID than others.
What they found
Northern counties had twice as many older adults with ID as southern counties.
The total number rose every year, and men showed higher rates than women.
Hot spots stayed in the north during the whole eight-year window.
How this fits with other research
Pitetti et al. (2007) did a similar count in Finland. They showed that linking many registers catches more cases than using just one list. Freeman et al. (2015) followed that tip and blended registers, so the Swedish map is likely fuller.
Hermans et al. (2014) surveyed older adults with ID and found that 4 out of 5 live with several health problems. The Swedish study shows where these adults are; Heidi shows what medical load they carry. Together they warn planners: northern counties need both more slots and more medical staff.
Bhaumik et al. (2008) found that a large share of adults with ID in the UK used specialist psychiatry. The Swedish map can guide where to place similar clinics in Sweden, because the north already has the biggest ID populations.
Why it matters
If you design services, use these maps to put clinics, day programs, and trained staff in the north first. The numbers will keep rising as the ID cohort ages, so budget for growth now. Share the map with county boards to win funding and to shape respite, medical, and behavior-support teams where they are needed most.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: The expected increase in longevity of individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) in many countries of the world is a direct result of medical and social advances, which have also extended the longevity of the general population. It is important to assess the need for social services for people with ID across different administrative levels to ensure sufficient resources are allocated to where they are most needed. This study estimates the annual prevalence of older people with ID from 2004 to 2012 and in different counties and municipalities in Sweden, by sex and age group; identifies proxy indicators related to the care of older people with ID in different counties in 2012 in Sweden and analyses the spatial distribution and clustering of municipalities with a high prevalence of older people with ID. METHODS: Individuals with ID were identified through the national register based on the Swedish Act concerning Support and Service for Persons with Certain Functional Impairments (the LSS act) and the national death register. This study focuses on older individuals aged 55+ during the period of 2004-2012. The estimated prevalence was calculated at the county and municipality level and plotted on a municipality-level map. Moran's I statistics was used to identify any spatial clustering of municipalities with a large number of individuals with ID. RESULTS: The prevalence of ID among older individuals aged 55+ in Sweden increased from 2004 to 2012. The prevalence was consistently higher among men, and the gender gap increased slightly in recent years. Age-specific prevalence estimates showed ID to be higher in younger age groups, and the gender gap decreased in older age groups. The prevalence was higher in northern counties in Sweden (over 500 individuals per 100 000 population aged 55+). Higher prevalence areas were clustered in northern municipalities, whereas municipalities with high prevalence of older individuals with ID in the middle and southern regions of Sweden demonstrated a more widespread distribution. CONCLUSIONS: The existence of clusters of counties with a high prevalence of older individuals with ID necessitates further assessment of how resources have been allocated to different counties and municipalities in Sweden. Investigations of the quality of social services provided to individuals with ID across different counties in Sweden are warranted. It is important to ensure that high quality supports are being provided to older individuals with ID in order to grant them the same right to healthy ageing as their counterparts living without ID throughout their life course.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 2015 · doi:10.1111/jir.12219