Use of Group Counseling to Support Aging-Related Losses in Older Adults with Intellectual Disabilities

Abstract

With the noted increase in life expectancy of persons with intellectual disabilities (ID), there is a need to provide more physical and psychological preparation for aging and support for these individuals in their middle-age and aging periods of life. It is known that age-related losses result in major stressors and that these can produce changes in the way that older adults think, feel or act. Therefore, having methods and tools to help individuals with ID prepare for and adjust to their losses is important. To address this, the Neve Natoa Residential Center in Israel initiated a group intervention program to test whether a group counseling method could be used to help prepare adults for changes associated with aging. Nine adults (5 males and 4 females) between the ages of 39 and 56 (mean = 49) participated in the program pilot. After ten sessions, an evaluation indicated a positive change of attitudes, improvement of self-esteem, and less extreme behavioral reactions in the period after the intervention. Given the positive results, it is recommended that further studies involving group in tervention techniques with adults with ID be undertaken.