Aims
This project will use multiple research methods to:
- improve our understanding of the health and mental health profiles of people with intellectual disability living with dementia in NSW,
- build an evidence-base to support the development of enhanced understanding of responsive behaviours among people intellectual disability living with dementia, and
- build capacity of people with intellectual disability and their supporters through co-design of a suite of accessible resources about responsive behaviours and dementia.
Why this project is needed
The life expectancy of Australians with intellectual disability has increased over recent decades, resulting in a growing population of older people with intellectual disability.
People with intellectual disability are more likely to develop dementia, and often at a younger age, than people without intellectual disability. It is known that people with intellectual disability generally experience poorer health outcomes than people without intellectual disability, but more research focusing on the health of people with intellectual disability living with dementia is needed.
Similarly, little research has focused on understanding responsive behaviours (often called behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia) among people with intellectual disability living with dementia.
This project is being done as part of a Dementia Australia Postdoctoral Fellowship awarded to Dr Rachael Cvejic. The project team includes Associate Professor Simone Reppermund, Professor Julian Trollor, and Dr Tom Morris, Head of Research and Information Excellence, Dementia Support Australia.
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