The Aging and Elderly Population with Mental Retardation: A Model Project in Rural Kentucky.

A model to serve rural (Kentucky) mentally retarded adults age 50 and over incorporates generic community resources such as residential, nutritional, medical, recreational, and transportation services with age appropriate activities and programs. The system is intended to provide an alternative to the life-long work setting of the workshop or work activity center and to the residential setting of nursing homes and personal care homes. Currently the program serves 20 people in weekly individualized service coordination. The program director's role has evolved to advocacy, social planning, and managing. The second phase of the project will focus on developing residential options. A new project in Lexington is in the planning stages and four other regional boards are exploring the idea and feasibility of starting age appropriate services for the older person with mental retardation. (CL) ********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** O The Aging and Elderly Population with Mental Retardatior A Model Project in Rural Kentucky James A. Stone Developmental Disabilities Coordinator Kentucky Division of Mental Retardation Department for MH-MR Services Ca'...net for Human Resources 275 East Main Street Frankfort,Kentucky 40621 U S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION OtItce of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATICN CENTER (ERIC) r/Th.s document has been reproduced as rece,ved from the person or orgaruzatton oochnahng .t r Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quahty Potnis of ,new or othmonS stated on ?MS document do not necessarily teereSent camel OERI pos.hon or v "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MAT ;AL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)" Annual Meeting of the Southern Gerontological Society, 8th, New Orleans, LA, April 13-16, 1987. 2 BEST COPY AVAILABLE ) Aging and Elderly Demonstration Project Since 1945, the population with mental retardation has experienced an increase in life expectancy which is approaching the life span of the population without handicaps. Before 1945, the life expectancy of this population was 35 years. Now due to changes in environmental conditions, medical advancement, and developments in the modality of service, this population has increased while at the same time becoming almost invisible. During the last five years around the country, there has been a growing interest in the service needs of the aging and elderly populations with mental retardati m. Traditionally, services to the MR population have been available to children and young adults with few options or programs developed for the aging population { age 50 and over }. Today ,`.he major services are long term custodial care and sheltered workshops or work actitivities. This brings up the questions; Should a person with mental retardation be required to work all of hi: life until he is physically unable or dead? And should the only options for residence be institutional or family? A study in the state of New York revealed that of the aging population across their state, 7.8% of the aging population was mentally retarded. As applied to the state of Kentucky, there is a possibility that 32,735 aging adults with mental retardation are living here. In the past four fiscal years, the Regional Mill / MR Boards (the planning bodies responsible for commun:ty services} have reported an increase of services to those clients above the age of 65 { 14 in FY 8142, and 140 in FY 84-85}. The project+ have chosen to discuss was a conceptual model program developed in Kentucky by Jan, 5 A. Stone , D.D. Coordinator for the Kentucky Division of Mental Retardation . Its purpose was to provide appropriate services to those individuals living in rural communities who are in transition from the work age to that of retirement years . A rural area was chosen due to the geographical makeup of Kentucky and the fact that according to the census bureau, 80% of the state is considered to be rural. A shortage of funds and the expectation that "other agencies" were providing services has contributed to the void of service delivery to the aging person with mental retardation ; however, the experience -shows that other normalelderly -populations have -not readily accepted the aging