Project Description
People with intellectual disability are living longer, with many living active productive lives. As they age, people with intellectual disability face the same health and mental health issues as the rest of the community, but some will experience these at much younger ages. The SAge-ID Study examined the rates of physical and mental health problems in older people with Intellectual Disability. A focus of the study was the checklists and assessment tools that might be useful for tracking cognitive skills in people with intellectual disability, and which tools might be suitable for assessing dementia in people with intellectual disability.
The study followed the same group of adults with intellectual disability since 2012. The study has been completed. We thank all the participants, their family members and carers, for their participation in this valuable project.
Our Ambassador for Healthy Ageing: Michael Sullivan
Our study ambassador was Michael Sullivan. Michael’s role as Healthy Ageing Ambassador for 3DN includes joint advocacy for improved services for older people with intellectual disability, as well as giving advice to our research team. Michael is also a co-vice-chairperson at NSW Council for Intellectual Disability. You can read more about him here.
We are glad to have Michael’s input into the study.
Project funding
The SAge-ID Study received funding from Ageing, Disability and Home Care, the Dementia Collaborative Research Centers – Assessment and Better Care, La Trobe Rural Health School, and more recently from the National Health and Medical Research Council & Australian Research Council. We thank them for their support.
