Service providers' perceptions of active ageing among older adults with lifelong intellectual disabilities.
Direct-care staff believe active ageing is vital for older adults with ID, but warn that generic nursing-home transfers wreck quality of life.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Goodwin et al. (2012) talked to 20 front-line staff in English day and residential services.
All clients were over 50 with lifelong intellectual disability.
Staff shared stories about how they try to keep clients active, healthy and socially busy as they age.
What they found
Every worker wanted "active ageing" for their clients.
They warned that standard nursing-home moves often strip away friends, jobs and choice.
Staff said services must plan each person’s whole life, not just the next placement.
How this fits with other research
Hithersay et al. (2014) later searched for carer-led health programs and found none that work for adults with ID.
That sounds bleak, but it matches Goodwin et al. (2012): staff know what matters, yet no one has built the tools.
Williams et al. (2021) checked state service plans and saw most skip end-of-life details.
Together the three papers show a gap: staff care, systems don’t, and we still lack proven models to copy.
Why it matters
You can’t hand an older client a proven carer-led health kit—none exist yet.
You can start small: add late-life goals to the person-centered plan today, ask about friendships before any move, and track simple activity logs while bigger tools are still being built.
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Join Free →Open the current PCP, add one ‘active ageing’ goal tied to the client’s favorite daily activity, and list the friendships that must stay intact during any future move.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Considerable attention is currently being directed towards both active ageing and the revising of standards for disability services within Australia and internationally. Yet, to date, no consideration appears to have been given to ways to promote active ageing among older adults with intellectual disabilities (IDs). METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 Australian professional direct-care support staff (service providers) about their perceptions of ageing among older adults with lifelong IDs and what active ageing might entail for an individual from this population who is currently under their care, in both the present and future. Data were analysed against the six core World Health Organization active ageing outcomes for people with IDs. RESULTS: Service providers appeared to be strongly focused on encouraging active ageing among their clients. However, their perceptions of the individual characteristics, circumstances and experiences of older adults with IDs for whom they care suggest that active ageing principles need to be applied to this group in a way that considers both their individual and diverse needs, particularly with respect to them transitioning from day services, employment or voluntary work to reduced activity, and finally to aged care facilities. The appropriateness of this group being placed in nursing homes in old age was also questioned. CONCLUSION: Direct-care staff of older adults with IDs have a vital role to play in encouraging and facilitating active ageing, as well as informing strategies that need to be implemented to ensure appropriate care for this diverse group as they proceed to old age.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 2012 · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2788.2011.01500.x