Abstract
Persons aging with long-term disabilities such as spinal cord injury or multiple sclerosis and older adults share similar chronic conditions in mid and later life in the United States. The rising general interest and more prevalent federal requirements for use of evidence-based practices (EBP) in health promotion and chronic condition interventions highlight the gap between demand and the availability of EBPs for persons aging with disability in particular. Addressing this gap will require focused efforts that will benefit substantially by bridging the fields of aging and disability/rehabilitation to develop new EBPs, translate existing EBPs across populations, and borrow best practices across fields where there are few current EBPs. Understanding distinctions between disability-related secondary conditions and age-related chronic conditions is a first step in identifying shared conditions that are important to address for both mid-life and older adults with disabilities. This review articulates these distinctions, describes shared conditions, and discusses the current lack of EBPs for both populations. It also provides recommendations for bridging activities in the United States by researchers, professionals, and consumer advocates. We argue that these can more efficiently move research and practice than if activities were undertaken separately in each field (aging and disability/rehabilitation).
Highlights
Changing Demographics of Aging and DisabilityThe proportion of older adults in the global population is rapidly increasing
Persons aging with long-term disabilities such as spinal cord injury or multiple sclerosis and older adults share similar chronic conditions in mid and later life in the United States
Similar to the risk of secondary disabilities for people aging with long-term disability, multiple chronic conditions (MCCs) are concurrent chronic conditions that affect a person at the same time [23,26]
Summary
The proportion of older adults in the global population is rapidly increasing. Over the past several decades, the increased longevity among people with disabilities has emerged as an important demographic trend to consider in regards to health promotion and chronic conditions. This paper focuses on persons aging with disability in the U.S as a case example It articulates distinctions between disability-related secondary conditions and age-related chronic conditions as a first step in identifying shared conditions important to address for both mid-life and older adults with disabilities. It provides recommendations for bridging activities in the United States by researchers, professionals, and consumer advocates. We argue that these can more efficiently move research and practice than if activities were undertaken separately in each field (aging and disability/rehabilitation)
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