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April 29, 2003 -- Older people -- the nation's fastest-growing demographic segment -- want to remain independent and in their own homes, and services are woefully out of step with this priority. This is one of the conclusions drawn from "Beyond 50 2003: A Report to the Nation on Independent Living and Disability," a national survey of disabled Americans 50 and older conducted by the AARP and released in late April.
"Independent living is not doing things by yourself, it is being in control of how
-- Judith E. Heumann, Co-Founder, World Institute on Disability
The survey of more than 1,000 people who have disabilities and are over age 50 showed many respondents felt their basic needs weren't being met. A quarter of respondents said they needed more help with activities such as cooking, bathing and shopping.
The AARP survey documents that the vast majority of people with disabilities would rather live in their own homes, a preference that increases notably with age.
"Expectations about living with disability have changed dramatically in the past few decades, in large part due to the influence of the independent living and disability rights movements, which seek to integrate persons with disabilities into the everyday life of their communities rather than isolating them in medically oriented facilities," says the report. "The independent living movement also seeks to change social attitudes to recognize that persons with disabilities want to remain in control of their lives and should receive the services they need to remain independent."
Policy groups, say AARP, should "encourage 'consumer-directed' long-term supportive services in publicly funded programs such as Medicaid. Such services would help people "stay in charge" and would respect their varying life experiences and preferences. Although the Medicaid program is administered at the state level, federal policy could promote more consumer choice in the types of services offered and the settings in which they are offered."
Read the report online at http://research.aarp.org/il/beyond_50_il.html
Read more about efforts for consumer control of Medicaid programs
Read more about the independent living philosophy
from the 2000 Census
TO SEE YOUR LOCAL CENSUS DATA ON DISABILITY:
Go to
Census Profiles -- then select your your state and your town. On the resulting PDF file, look at Table DP-2 (bottom of second page). You may want to compare the statistics for your local area with other parts of the country, or with nearby towns.
More about demographics and identity
The 'new paradigm' of disability
One in 5 working-age people reports a disability
Read Deborah Kaplan on the definitions of disability
Research on disability definitions from NIDRR