Aging: Changing Support Needs

The cover of this issue of Frontline Initiative shows four individuals—Charles, Chris, Lauralee, and Briley—standing side by side, flexing their arms and smiling after completing a workout at I CAN. They are in a gym with exercise equipment in the background. The overlay text is the title of the issue, which reads, Frontline Initiative: Supporting People as They Age. Also shown in overlay text is the logo of the National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals, and the wordmarks of the Institute on Community Integration and the University of Minnesota.

As people with disabilities transition to new life stages, the direct support professionals they work with play a critical role in maintaining their quality of life and ability to make meaningful choices. The new issue of Frontline Initiative highlights DSPs and others who are embracing these transitions, from a parent watching a young adult moving to independent living, to a sister managing legal guardianship services for a brother across the country, to a DSP supporting someone through an Alzheimer’s diagnosis.

“Working with Wayne as he ages has changed how I think about support,” writes Tom Heaton, a DSP in Whitehall, Maryland. “I’ve had to adjust my pace, expectations, and approach. I’ve learned to be more patient and intentional. Sometimes, I find myself getting frustrated, not with Wayne, but with how different things are now. That’s when I pause, reflect, and remind myself he’s doing the best he can, and I owe him the same.”

Frontline Initiative is a free, digital publication produced at the Institute on Community Integration, a University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, in partnership with the National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals . Issues contain resources, perspectives, and strategies for advancing the profession of direct support.

“As DSPs develop their professional skills and stay on the job longer, they will increasingly support people through a major life transition,” said Julie Kramme, FI co-editor, noting the need for service models to adapt as people with disabilities age. “For this issue, we wanted to share ideas directly from other DSPs and family members on the best ways to really listen to what people with IDD want and need during these times.”

Other articles in the issue address strategies DSPs can use, including the Charting the LifeCourse framework. Another article offers tips on supporting people with disabilities who have worked in competitive employment settings and are now contemplating retirement.

Several articles call out the skill of DSPs who are listening and observing the people they support so that they adapt to the evolving priorities and pace of life through the aging process. Articles by Anna Harrison; Sarah Hall and Roger Stancliffe; Michelle Leo; and Tony Philips in particular focus on issues important to supporting older adults.

“These authors emphasize a change in pace as people age, but also the importance of maintaining an appropriate level of activity,” Kramme said. “Older people have a lot of goals and things they still want to do.”

The issue also includes an important update on how federal funding cuts to Medicaid may affect people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities (IDD). Further updates on revisions to the NADSP Code of Ethics and the ongoing effort to establish a standard occupational classification for DSPs are also provided in the issue.

Click here to subscribe to Frontline Initiative.