Ageing

1. Introduction


Two people in a restaurantPhoto: Britt-Evy Westergård

Before you start this sub-module, answer these questions for reflection:

  • What do you think the ageing process means for people with  intellectual disabilities (ID)? 
  • What are the main challenges for older people with ID, in general?
  • What kind of support do you think your child/sibling/client needs for  successful ageing?
  • How would you communicate with your ageing child/sibling/client when it comes to topics such as ageing process, friendship, death and dying?
  • How important do you think it is to talk about these topics and who have the responsibility to teach the ageing person about it? 

In the need assessment [BW2] partners in ELPIDA conducted before the leaning-material was developed, only 11% of the survey participants said they had some training on ageing in people with ID. Most informants said they had very little knowledge (35%), or no knowledge at all of early signs of ageing (40%). These answers tell us that a special focus on early signs of ageing and unhealthy ageing process are important topics in this module. 

At the end of the module, there is an evaluation [BW1] . We hope you take time to answer this so your answers can help us focus on knowledge you and others consider useful to increase and maintain a good quality of life for people with ID.


 [BW1]Link to an electronic evaluation of the module

 [BW2]link to the NA-report