![]() ![]() “More need our support out in our communities, along with their families and caregivers.” In response, the Ontario government announced in 2014 it would invest $810 million over three years into developmental services. “People with developmental disabilities are living longer, productive lives in which they are fully included in their communities,” says David Jensen, communications officer for the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. That’s increasing the pressure on our system. The number of adults in Ontario with developmental disabilities is growing, and their health needs are higher, because they develop age-related issues, like frailty, up to 30 years earlier than the general population. So what happens when we all cross that bridge – when those caregivers, many of whom are Baby Boomers, become too old to continue to look after their adult children? Families stretched thin “It’s often assumed that people with long term chronic conditions have their needs met through primary care, community based mental health, or disability support services, and that families pick up around the edges,” says Michael Bach, executive vice-president for the Canadian Association for Community Living. In many instances, family members have stepped in to fill the gaps, becoming the de facto front-line health care providers. But major cracks have appeared in our system, with clients not getting enough access to respite, supportive housing or home care hours. This is a positive shift, as community-based care is more cost effective than institutions, and it’s also preferred by people with chronic health conditions or disabilities. The push for home care over the past several decades has allowed people who might previously have lived in institutions to stay at home, most notably people with developmental disabilities. Many adult children with disabilities now live in the community, and are likely to outlive their parents. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.” “I’m sure in a pinch I can get help, even just for a few weeks,” he says. He’s not sure what will happen when his parents pass away. He has no siblings and little other support. “My mom helps me as best as she can, but she’s pushing 80, she has diabetes,” he says. But that’s becoming more difficult: his father has cancer, and his elderly mother has her own health problems. ![]() Now that he’s nearing 50 and “almost non-mobile,” he receives home care and lives with his parents who help take care of him. Carlo is in a wheelchair thanks to a condition called myositis. ![]()
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