The elderly retarded population continues to grow rapidly, yet there remains a lack
of understanding regarding many of the characteristics and needs of these
individuals. The aging retarded person presents unique difficulties to care
providers because of inconsistencies in population definition, lack of coordination
between resources for the aging and retarded, and past neglect in the research
literature. The literature regarding the elderly retarded individual is reviewed
relative to (1) physical, behavioral, and emotional characteristics, (2) service
delivery and programming needs, and (3) suggestions for improved research
methodology which emphasize a consumer-oriented knowledge base. Caveats
regarding the application of programming mandates for mentally retarded
individuals to an aging population are also presented. Future work relating to
elderly retarded individuals must take into consideration the rapidly shifting
nature of the population through changes in the quality of health care, extent of
programming, and governmental policies concerning care of the aged and the
mentally retarded person.
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