Posted on May 6, 2020 by naricspotlight
May is
Older Americans Month, a celebration led by the Administration for Community
Living. The theme for 2020 is “Make Your Mark,” encouraging and celebrating the
countless contributions that older adults make to our communities every day.
Within the community of older Americans are those aging with disabilities.
Thanks to advances in medical and rehabilitative care, people with disabilities
are living longer, some well into their senior years. These older adults are
also staying active and engaged, even as they experience some of the same
changes in health, employment, and levels of participation as their peers
without disabilities.
The
NIDILRR grantee community has examined issues of aging with disability for more
than 30 years. Early Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers (RRTCs)
focused on aging with physical disabilities and aging with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Other projects and centers have focused on women aging with disabilities, aging with spinal cord injuries, and assistive technology for older persons with disabilities,
among many other topics.
Here’s
a look at some of the currently funded projects that are conducting research
and development to support the continued health, employment, and participation
of people aging with disabilities. Click on the project titles to visit their
websites.
TechSAge
RERC II advances knowledge and accelerates the development, modification, and
testing of technology-based interventions and strategies for use in the home
and community to promote aging-in-place and reduce secondary conditions among
people with long-term disabilities. Current studies include needs assessment
and technology use, telewellness, digital home assistants, and development of
several technology solutions such as smart bathrooms and tools for connected
home technologies.
The
overarching goal of the Investigating Disability factors and promoting
Environmental Access for Healthy Living RRTC (IDEAL RRTC) is to promote the
healthy aging of adults with long-term physical impairments and disabilities.
This is achieved by identifying factors at the intersection of the person and
environment that impede or support positive health and function outcomes and
creating solutions that improve the fit between the two. Current studies
include examining the experience of aging with disability and developing a
model integrated health clinic.
This
project identifies and addresses barriers to successful community participation
for people aging with long-term physical disability. People in this group are
living longer and experiencing the challenges of aging, including the onset of
secondary and age-related chronic health conditions, leaving them at high risk
of diminished functional abilities and compromised participation. Current
studies include developing a community-based research network of long-term
service and support providers, studying changes in community participation, and
adapting and studying an evidence-based program focused on self-management and
removing environmental barriers to participation.
Many
individuals now live to aging milestones after the onset of spinal cord injury
(SCI). Recent longitudinal research suggests a dramatic increase in physician
visits and hospitalizations among those reaching 40+ years post-injury, with
some declines in life satisfaction and future expectations. The goal of this
project is to better understand these changes to support individuals that face
aging-related challenges.
Our Research In Focus Series has
highlighted several studies on aging and disability from these and other
NIDILRR-funded projects:
Explore
more from the NIDILRR community:
·
Explore all of the current NIDILRR-funded projects on aging indexed
in the NIDILRR Program Database.
·
Explore completed NIDILRR-funded projects on aging indexed
in the NIDILRR Program Database.
·
Explore publications from NIDILRR-funded projects by subject
area indexed in the REHABDATA Database.
·
Aging and intellectual/developmental disabilities (some
older abstracts refer to mental retardation)
NARIC’s
information and resource specialists are available to help you explore the
research in aging with disabilities or to find resources in your community to
help you celebrate Older Americans Month. Call, email, or chat with us
today?
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