Transition to Retirement for Older People with Intellectual Disabilities—Staff Descriptions of the Process and Roles

Abstract

Our study examines how staff in housing and day activity centres describe the transition of people with intellectual disabilities (ID) to old-age retirement. The data comprise the staff’s written responses to open-ended questions included in an online questionnaire. The data were analysed using content analysis, followed by further analysis using the concept of the script. We identified two main scripts in which the staff outline the transition process. According to the person-centred script, the role of the person with ID in transition is an agent with initiative and the staff are seen as enablers and supporters. In the system-driven script, the role of the person with ID is a passive object adapting to changes, while the staff seems to implement routines. This study shows inequality among aging people with ID. Their opportunities to make decisions from retirement depends on which script is followed in their municipality’s disability services and service-provider organisation.

Keywords

• intellectual disability
• ageing
• transition
• retirement
• staff
• script