Older Australians with intellectual disability: The survivors

Abstract

This paper describes a national study of people, above 55 years of age, with intellectual disability, in Australia. The authors identified 2,543 known members of the target group and interviewed 555 of these in a two-phase process. The identified target population represents 0.07% of the national population of people over 55 years, which appears to be considerably less than the estimated prevalence figures reported by others overseas. The authors suggest that this figure is indicative of the increased mortality rate of people with intellectual disability with increasing age and particularly in old age, and the exclusion of people with higher ability in the sample.