Facilitating transition: Elements of successful case management practice for older parents of adults with intellectual disability

The increased life expectancy of people with intellectual disability raises the dual issues of supporting aging parental carers to continue in their role and ensuring a smooth transition for middle-aged adults with intellectual disability to non-parental care. However, few services are specifically designed to respond to these issues and older carers are not generally dissagregated from other groups. Two pilot programs, “Options for Older Families,” were funded by the Victorian Department of Human Services in 1995 to work with older carers on immediate needs and planning for the future. The pilots utilised intensive case management with access to discretionary funds. This paper reports on an evaluation that examined the characteristics of these families, the outcomes for carers and adults, and the strategies adopted to achieve these. The elements of successful case management practice with older carers demonstrated in the programs were proactivity and prevention with a dual emphasis on maintenance and change for both the carer and their adult child with intellectual disability. Demands on carers were reduced by the introduction of formal services such as “recreation as respite” whilst the environmental demands for adults were increased, thus effecting change and providing vital ingredients for preparation for the future. The pilots did not duplicate the type of support offered or the clients targeted by more traditional generic case management programs operating in Victoria