ABSTRACT
Individuals who experience sustained disability in later life are generally referred to as persons ageing into disability. Those who experience the onset of disability in early or mid-life can be referred to as persons ageing with disability. The increased life expectancy (and growth) of this latter population is a result of much hard work to improve longevity and advance the quality of life for persons living with long-term disability. Yet the later-life needs of this population have received only minimal attention by policymakers. This chapter describes the systems of long-term services and supports available in the U.S. to the older adult population and to the population of persons with disabilities. It is essentially concerned with highlighting the points at which the support needs and service delivery approaches of the ageing with disability and the ageing into disability populations converge. It also touches on the points at which they are less similar. The chapter argues that the ageing with disability population defies easy categorization and that the focus should shift from categorizing people based on who they are to what they are about, and what they would like to do as members of the community.
