ABSTRACT
Larger percentages of adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities (IDDs) in the United States are living into their 70s and beyond, parallel with the extended longevity of adults in the general population. It is estimated that there are approximately 650,000 adults 60 years and older with IDD and related conditions; population projections further note that this number will double by 2030. During the first half of the twentieth century and well into the 1970s, adults with IDD in the United States were treated within facilities for people with IDs or institutions for people with mental illness, often moving from different institutions depending on the availability of institutions and funding for placements. The major indicators for older people for emotional and economic well-being are marital status and the support social network available to the older adults. Adults with IDD are less likely to be married or have children and have fewer relationships than older adults in the general population.
