Placement, relocation and end of life issues in aging adults with and without Down's syndrome: a retrospective study.
BACKGROUND
Aging adults with Down's syndrome (DS) experience more relocations and other life events than adults with intellectual disabilities aged 50 and older without DS. Age-related functional decline and the higher incidence of dementia were implicated as the contributing factors that led to relocation and nursing home placement.


METHODS
A retrospective study of adults with intellectual disabilities who were born prior to the year 1946 was conducted to analyse the number of relocations experienced over a 5- and 10-year period. The cohort consisted of 140 individuals (61 with DS between ages 50-71 years, and 79 without DS between ages 57-89 years) who had been referred to a diagnostic and research clinic.


RESULTS
Analyses revealed the number of relocations over a 5- and 10-year period were significantly greater in the DS group. Placement in a nursing home for end of life care was significantly higher in the DS group whereas the majority (90%) in the non-DS group remained in a group home setting. Mortality was significantly earlier in the DS group with the mean age at death to be 61.4 years compared with 73.2 years in the non-DS group.


CONCLUSIONS
The present results suggest that aging adults with DS encounter more relocations, and are more likely to have their final placement for end of life care in a nursing home. In contrast, the adults without DS were subjected to less relocation and remained in the same group home setting.
Patti
P
P
George Jervis Clinic, NYS Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, Staten Island, New York 10314, USA. paul.patti@omr.state.ny.us
Amble
K
K
Flory
M
M
D016223:Advance Directives / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004314:Down Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D016352:Group Homes / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006707:Homes for the Aged / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000523:psychology*; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009735:Nursing Homes / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011157:Population Dynamics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013727:Terminal Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014481:United States