OLDER CAREGIVERS OF INDIVIDUALS WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY: AN EXAMINATION OF FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO WELLBEING

摘要

Caregivers engage in daily demanding tasks, which can lead to caregiver burden; however, caregivers have also shown to be resilient. The body of literature has primarily focused on caregiving of older adults; however, little is known about older adults who care for adults with Intellectual Disabilities (ID). Due to medical advances individuals with ID are living longer, and their caregivers are aging along with them. The purpose of this study was to examine differences between older adult and younger adult caregivers on factors related to wellbeing. Caregivers were recruited from Home Community-Based Services community programs serving individuals with ID. Interviews were completed in English and Spanish. Wellbeing (physical and mental health), meaning, familism, perceived access to resources, and problems solving were assessed. Our sample consisted of 35 older adult caregivers (60–81), and 62 younger adult caregivers (21–59). The majority were females (73%), and Spanish speakers (55%). Results showed that there were no differences between older adult and younger adult caregivers in mental health scores, problem solving, perceived access to resources, and meaning. However, older adults endorsed significantly lower levels of physical health (p=0.00) and higher levels of familism (p=0.05). Further examination of familism within contextual models of older adult caregivers with people with ID is needed to advance research, intervention and policy.