P. Mccallion et Mp. Janicki, AREA AGENCIES ON AGING - MEETING THE NEEDS OF PERSONS WITH DEVELOPMENTAL-DISABILITIES AND THEIR AGING FAMILIES, Journal of applied gerontology, 16(3), 1997, pp. 270-284
Amendments to the Older Americans Act (PL 100-175) in 1987 and 1992 ta
rgeted provision of services by area agencies on aging (AAAs) to perso
ns with developmental disabilities and their family caregivers. This a
rticle reports on a survey of AAAs throughout the United States to ass
ess the success and commitment of AAAs in implementing these provision
s. Specifically, the survey assessed the presence of related organizat
ional mechanisms, services, and linkages to other agencies. Most AAAs
reported the presence of services and linkages related to serving this
population. Organizational mechanisms within AAAs that were likely to
develop and sustain options for these families were less evident AAAs
generally reported that they had no reliable estimate of the number o
f older persons providing primary care to adults with a developmental
disability in their catchment area. It is recommended that families, a
dvocates, and state units on aging encourage AAAs to carry out local n
eeds assessments and more vigorously develop organizational mechanisms
within their agencies to provide support to older caregivers of adult
s with a developmental disability.