Introduction to Research Theme: Family Care Giving.
This research theme's focus is on family care giving among older adults with intellectual disability. This theme includes investigation of Care Giving for Older People with Intellectual Disability (ID), within 'post-institutional' society.
Over the past number of decades there has been a significant increase in the life expectance of people with an intellectual disability. Within contemporary 'post-institutional' Irish society, families are now the primary providers of caregiving support for people with an ID. A number of macro factors impact on all family units in Ireland; however these factors have a particular dynamic on families with an older person who has an ID. Specifically, as people with an ID age so too do their families, making family caregiving more difficult and complex.
This research theme examines the caregiving capacity within the family and domestic space for older people with ID. Key areas of examination include the identifying the enablers and barriers to family caregiving capacity, the measurement of care giving capacity, and future care planning.