Adult persons with intellectual disabilities on the island of Ireland.
BACKGROUND
Information on the numbers of adult persons (aged 20 years and over) with intellectual disability (ID) is rarely collated at a national level. This is an impediment to service planning especially for a changing population.


METHODS
A database of all persons in receipt of ID services has been operating in the Republic of Ireland since 1995. In Northern Ireland, regional databases can be used to provide similar information.


RESULTS
A total of 25,134 persons were known to services in 2002; an overall prevalence for the island of 6.34 per 1,000. However this rate varied for different age groupings and across the two parts of the island. General population characteristics, as well as service factors, appear to account for this. Significantly more people lived with family carers in Northern Ireland. By 2021, it was estimated that the population would increase by over 20% with around one-third of persons aged over 50 years.


CONCLUSIONS
These data illustrate the variations that exist in the numbers of adult persons with ID known to services across and within regions of a country. Hence caution must be exercised in extrapolating prevalence rates derived in one area to another. The availability of comparative national data highlights issues around the equitable funding and delivery of services.
McConkey
R
R
Institute of Nursing Research, University of Ulster, Newtownabbey, UK. r.mcconkey@ulster.ac.uk
Mulvany
F
F
Barron
S
S
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005544:Forecasting; D006285:Health Planning / Q000639:trends; D006701:Home Nursing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000453:epidemiology*; D007494:Ireland; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020380:Needs Assessment / Q000639:trends; D009660:Northern Ireland; D011157:Population Dynamics; D012112:Residential Facilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data