Compared to the general population, dementia occurs more frequently among people with intellectual disability and particularly in those with Down syndrome. Although we know the level of dementia in people with Down syndrome, this is not clear in relation to people who have intellectual disability from other causes. Also, the progression of the disease in these people is not clear, particularly with respect to daily functioning.
This study will draw on data collected by the Intellectual Disability Supplement to the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (IDS-TILDA). This is unique national study that has been ongoing for more than 10 years, and which is following a group of over 500 people with intellectual disability, as they age. In particular, this proposed project seeks to describe any differences between the numbers of people with dementia and its characteristics in people with intellectual disability, whether with or without Down syndrome, and to examine and changes in their daily functioning over the period of the IDS-TILDA study.
It hopes to make a useful contribution to knowledge in this area and particularly in relation to those who do not have Down syndrome. It also may help to inform meaningful interventions for this group of people.
