Ageing and people with learning disabilities: in search of evidence

More people with learning disabilities are living longer. This is a good news story! But, the bad news is that they do not live as long as the rest of the population. Health and other services need to be better organised to ensure that people with learning disabilities get better healthcare and other services which would help them lead more healthy lives. Most older people with learning disabilities live at home with their Mum or Dad, who are getting older too and find life more difficult. Care and support services need to adapt as families' needs change, but often this does not happen. We need to know more about these problems, which people with learning disabilities and their family carers face as they get older. This article looks at what we know and what more we need to find out to help older people with learning disabilities and their family carers live happier and healthier lives. Background: Growing numbers of people with learning disabilities are now living into older age. This study aims to examine the state of knowledge about their lives and the challenges that ageing has for both family carers and policymakers and practitioners. Materials and Methods: The article synthesises existing research in the fields of learning disability, ageing and family and social care with a view to learning lessons from these separate fields, identifying possibilities for collaboration and identifying gaps in knowledge. Results: The article concludes that existing research in the fields of ageing and family and social care can add significantly to an understanding of the impact of ageing on people with learning disabilities and their carers but, to date, there has been little collaboration or sharing of knowledge between the three areas. Conclusion: The article concludes that further research is required to fully understand the impact of ageing on the quality of life of people with learning disabilities and their family carers and to inform the design and delivery of services. A useful and productive way forward would be learn from and to work with researchers in cogniscent fields, notably, but not only, in the fields of social gerontology and family and social care. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd