Background: The importance of understanding the needs of older people with intellectual disabilities (IDs) is obvious, but the research available is limited. This study identifies the self-reported needs of older adults with IDs and compares them with staff reported needs regarding the same older adults with ID, therefore specifying and explaining…

This qualitative study was carried out in Spain with the aim of identifying the changes that the health system should make to improve healthcare access for older adults with intellectual disability. Three hundred and sixty-nine family members and professionals expressed their opinion on how healthcare access could be improved. Participants…

The Model of Human Occupation (MOHO) is an evidenced-based model of practice that occupational therapists employ to discuss and reflect on the occupational needs of clients. Custodial grandparents are one cohort of potential clients who experience considerable difficulty in adapting to the occupational challenges of their grandchild-rearing role,…

Purpose: Effective strategies to recruit minority elders into health research (e.g., through churches, partnering with community gatekeepers) often involve nonrandom sampling methods. The current study has two aims: (a) to examine some new practices in recruitment of African American elders and (b) to determine the similarities and differences of…

Current research indicates that older persons with intellectual disabilities (ID) are a growing population with very specific needs. There are few existing studies that identify and characterise these needs. This study aimed to assess the health and social care needs of a group of older persons with ID in a community-based service in Ireland. The…

Purpose: We examine the relationship between the perceived needs and assessed needs of community-dwelling seniors. Design and Methods: Trained research assistants administered the Naturally Occurring Retirement Community Baseline Survey to 268 community-dwelling older adults in suburban Maryland. Perceived and assessed needs were measured in the…

Consistent with results of previous needs assessments for urban American Indian and Alaska Native populations, a needs assessment in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area for the Native American Rehabilitation Association Northwest revealed high levels of co-occurring conditions for American Indian and Alaska Native clients, often combining…

Obtained data from study conducted in five California jails to examine mental health needs of jail inmates (N=940). Of the 64 inmates over age 50, 14 were determined to be mature mentally ill offenders. Data suggest that mature mentally ill offenders are predominantly White, unmarried, alcohol dependent, have less than 12 years of formal…

This needs assessment study of mental health needs of the elderly in Pennsylvania used a three-part approach. These parts were a review of existing data sources, an extensive key informant study, and a review of service delivery models. A recent study found a prevalence rate for mental illness in the elderly of 12.8%, more than 5% lower than the…

The texts of three Senate hearings on the reauthorization of the Older Americans Act of 1965 are provided in this document. The first hearing examines changing needs of the elderly. Needs of minority elders for services under the Act are discussed in the second hearing. The final hearing examines the functioning of current programs to determine…

Due to the smaller populations of rural areas, the greater distances between places, the generally smaller and one-dimensional economic bases, and the movement of younger persons away from rural areas, the rural elderly have unique problems. Few services are available which are designed to help elderly persons remain in their homes rather than in…

This Hearing concerns the rural elderly in southern Arizona. Arizona has many service programs to respond to everyday problems of the elderly. Some of these problems are unique, but others are similar to those experienced by older Americans throughout the nation. Topocs addressed include: transportation, health care services, housing, nutrition…

A more productive approach to providing appropriate long-term care is to separate physical from psychosocial needs when performing functional assessment and to rearrange them into a matrix. By examining each need separately, and where needs overlap in the matrix, more direct assessment can be performed, and specified interventions can be designed.…

Describes the Manitoba Longitudinal Study on Aging 1970-77 and discusses its relative potential in investigating the health and health care use behaviors of older persons. Data indicate that a person's utilization behaviors appear to remain consistent over time. (Author/RC)

This Hearing concerns the nation's rural elderly, and focuses on the Elderly Indian in Arizona. Problems addressed include: the lack of transportation, the lack of adequate housing and nursing homes, the scarcity of home care and homemaking services, and insufficient income. Programs in existence, as well as programs that are needed are discussed.…