Approaches to and outcomes of future planning for family carers of adults with an intellectual disability: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND

People with intellectual disabilities are living longer, with family homes and family caregivers increasingly identified as a key support to this ageing population of people with intellectual disabilities.

METHOD

This systematic review sets out existing evidence from empirically evaluated intervention studies of future care planning for adults with intellectual disability by family carers.

RESULTS

This systematic review identified a scarcity of systematic approaches to future care planning for adults with intellectual disabilities and their family carers. However, evidence from the review suggests positive outcomes for families once they engage in a future planning process.

CONCLUSIONS

Contemporary social policy orientation, which emphasizes reliance on families to provide care, along with an ageing population of people with intellectual disabilities, and diminishing caring capacity within family networks, suggests an urgent need for a more expansive research base that evaluates approaches to supporting adults with intellectual disabilities and their family carers to plan for their futures.