Aging with a Disability: What the Clinician Needs to Know

With advances in medical care, technology, and rehabilitation, people with disabilities are now living longer. Many, in fact, have near-average life expectancies. Research has shown, however, that the changes and problems associated with aging often occur 10–20 years earlier in the lives of people with disabilities than in the lives of people without disabilities. These changes pose significant challenges for health care professionals. Because research in this field is relatively recent, few practitioners and students are aware of these findings. Aging with a Disability provides clinicians with a complete guide to the care and treatment of persons aging with a disability. Divided into five parts, this book first addresses the perspective of the person with a disability and his or her family. Chapters in the second section address the physiological and functional changes people will face as they grow older, and how these changes may affect quality of life and caregiver requirements. In the third part, contributors discuss treatment considerations such as maintaining employment and managing pain and fatigue. The book's fourth section focuses on specific conditions: spinal cord injury, polio, cerebral palsy, and developmental disabilities such as mental retardation. In the concluding section, the authors present research needs and discuss policy issues for future consideration. Paying special attention to the feelings, attitudes, and needs of people with disabilities—three chapters are written by authors who have a disability—Aging with a Disability gives students and clinicians a reliable and compassionate handbook for the treatment of this growing population.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments List of Contributors Introduction Part I: The Consumer's Perspective Chapter 1. A Consumer's Perspective on Living with a Disability: How Change in Function Affects Daily Life Chapter 2. Family Members' Perspective on Aging with a Disability Part II: Biopsychosocial Issues Chapter 3. Physiological Changes and Secondary Conditions Chapter 4. Quality of Life, Coping, and Depression Chapter 5. Family and Caregiver Issues Part III: Treatment Considerations Chapter 6. Maintaining Health and Function Chapter 7. Functional Changes Affecting People Aging with Disabilities Chapter 8. The Therapist's Role in Maintaining Employment Part IV: Impairment-Specific Conditions Chapter 9. Aging with a Spinal Cord Injury Chapter 10. Aging with Poliomyelitis Chapter 11. Aging with Cerebral Palsy Chapter 12. Aging with Developmental Disabilities: Emerging Models for Promoting Health, Independence, and Quality of Life Part V: Future Directions Chapter 13. Methodological Issues Chapter 14. The Politics of Aging with Disability: Health Care Policy and the Shaping of a Public Agenda Chapter 15. The Health Care Partnership: Barriers to Care— Part 1: The Provider's Viewpoint Chapter 16. The Health Care Partnership: Barriers to Care— Part 2: The Consumer's Viewpoint Index

About the Author :
Brian J. Kemp, Ph.D., is a clinical professor of medicine and psychology at the University of California at Irvine. Laura Mosqueda, M.D., is an associate clinical professor of family medicine and director of the Program in Geriatrics at the University of California at Irvine. The authors are the director and co-director, respectively, of the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Aging with a Disability at Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center in Downey, California.

Review :
A comprehensive look at aging in individuals who have a disability . . . Family members and caregivers of an individual with a disability will find this book valuable as an ongoing reference. —Patricia Duffley-Renow, Review of Disability Studies Offers . . . significant insights. —Stephen Weeks, International Psychogeriatrics