From the Washington Post:

As people with Down syndrome live longer, healthier lives, their parents are working with greater urgency to try to help them achieve independence. Adult services, like supervisory programs and group homes, are scarce. An excerpt:

“It’s a huge problem, and it’s not just a problem involving Down syndrome but for all people who have an intellectual disability,” said Peter V. Berns, executive director of the Arc of the United States, whose headquarters is in Silver Spring. “There’s a serious crisis brewing. There are actually huge waiting lists for services across the United States.”

In 2006, 61 percent of people with an intellectual disability were living with their families, and more than 700,000 of them were living with parents or family members who were older than 60, Berns said.

“The reality is that the services are not available to take care of these people in the event that their family member either becomes sick or passes away,” Berns said. “In a sense, their very freedom is at stake.”

(Washington Post photo. Jennifer Holden, 20, who has Down syndrome and is a sophomore in George Mason University’s LIFE Program, takes a field trip with her class.)

This entry was posted on Monday, November 10th, 2008 at 8:19 am and is filed under Down syndrome, NOT2BEMISSED, independent living, intellectual/developmental disabilities, waiting list/waivers, young adults. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.