The number of people with Down syndrome who are affected by dementia has almost doubled over the past three years, according to a study from Trinity College Dublin.
The Intellectual Disability Supplement (IDS) to the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (Tilda) shows that for the first time in history, people in Ireland with an intellectual disability are growing old in increasing numbers.
The report, which examined the ageing process of the more than 30,000 people in Ireland with an intellectual disability, found that the rate of people with Down syndrome developing dementia had risen from 15.8 per cent in 2011 to 29.9 per cent in 2014.
The average age of onset of dementia for people in this group was reported as 55 years.
Meanwhile, the rate of hypertension among people with intellectual disabilities was reported as 50 per cent lower than that of the general population. The rate of heart attacks among people with intellectual disabilities was also three times lower than for the public as a whole.
Family members
The survey also examined the family and community networks available to people with intellectual disabilities as they grow older. It found that older people with intellectual disabilities tended to be single or unmarried and relied on siblings and extended family for support. These family members tended to live in different areas from the relative with intellectual disabilities.
Two-thirds of respondents also had trouble with reading, writing, numeracy and money management, while 62.7 per cent said they were unable to read their own name.
Prof Mary McCarron, principal investigator of the Tilda report, said the findings raised “serious concerns” over the planned movement of older adults with severe levels of intellectual disabilities into the community.
