Over the past few years, NIA has recognized the need for more research on aging in the I/DD population. Few competitive grants addressing these issues have been funded. A new look at research needs is in order. The urgent need for information about the health status of this population was one of the main findings of a report prepared by a task force led by one of this project's Co-Principal Investigators (Janicki) issued by the World Health Organization (WHO, 2000), funded in part by an R-13 grant from NIA. That report focused on identifying health issues in the target population that would be of concern to policy makers. This proposal is to extend the WHO report process but narrow its focus to developing a research agenda. Our intent is to include biomedical, translational, clinical, and policy research issues. There are three Specific Aims:
Specific Aim 1. Using a scientific meeting format, summarize the scientific data on health status of and medical care applications for older adults with I/DD. The meeting will bring together some 40 scientists and related workers from the world community who will present summaries of basic and translational research in several key areas pertaining to health and aging in persons with I/DD. The result will be a report leading to either an edited book or a special issue of a scientific journal.
Specific Aim 2. Develop recommendations for future research. As a follow-up to the scientific meeting, the project steering committee will prepare a summary of research issues and recommendations for future research.
Specific Aim 3. In collaboration with the American Association on Mental Retardation and the American Medical Association, define salient areas for medical concern and surveillance based on the extant literature and practice findings of physical conditions and diseases that appear to have particular incidence in middle age and aging adults with I/DD. This area will lead to a report of recommendations for the establishment of practice guidelines for medical care jointly issued by the AAMR and the AMA.
