Healthy and Institutionalized: Health and Related Conditions Among Older Persons with Developmental Disabilities

Abstract

The fastest growing group among persons with developmental disabilities is older persons, partly because of improved health status and improvements in the quality of medical and residential care. The prevalence of chronic health conditions, associated limitations, and hospitalizations among those living infacilities licensed by developmental disabilities agencies is similar to or lower than that for older persons in general living in the community. The primary placement for this population, however, is in nursing homes or state institutions. Differences between persons in institutional settings versus community residential facilities are largely in functional limitations and/or severity of retardation, rather than in health conditions and health-related limitations, and overlap between persons in nursing homes and facilities operated/ licensed by developmental disabilities agencies is considerable. Other considerations regarding the quality of care do not generally support the high level of institutionalization of this population.