Seniors raising children with an intellectual disability need support, says P.E.I. group

Planning for a child's future is a constant concern as a parent, and there can be even more to think about as a senior raising a child with an intellectual disability.

The P.E.I. Association for Community Living (P.E.I. ACL) is planning workshops to help senior parents plan for the future, but first the association wants to find out the needs of those parents.

"There are a large number of Island seniors who are living at home who are raising their adult sons and daughters who have intellectual disabilities," said Grace Kimpinski with P.E.I. ACL.

Many of these parents can feel alone and don't recognize there is a larger community around them, she said.

"We're putting these workshops together in hopes we can kind of help them work with some of their foreseeable issues that may arise."

Parent helps with research

Pat Coady is one of these parents. For 27 years she cared for her child, up until her daughter's death 10 years ago, Coady said.

"Twenty-seven years of looking after my daughter who had an intellectual disability," she said.

"I have the perspective of senior parents still caring for sons and daughters as well as those parents who may have lost their son or daughter."

Coady is helping P.E.I. ACL research the needs of senior parents.

"It was through the birth of my own daughter that I became interested, certainly in the joys and challenges of raising a son or daughter with an intellectual disability."

Senior caregivers struggling with own health

Coady is reaching out to senior parents to find out what their concerns are. One of the issues she has identified is housing, Coady said.

"We have a shortage of residential options for adults with intellectual disabilities and just in my preliminary work so far I am talking to parents in their late 80s."

They are struggling with financial issues because they are now pensionable people.— Pat Coady

She said she hasn't come across a senior in that demographic who considers themselves healthy.

"They're struggling with their own health issues. They are struggling with financial issues because they are now pensionable people."

Transportation, heath and housing

Transportation is also an issue for those who have to travel from rural areas to Charlottetown to get essential services for their child, Coady said.

Kimpinski said Coady have identified a lot of issues so far. The plan is to take that information and P.E.I. ACL will reach out to professionals to put workshops together.

The workshops are expected to be available in September and P.E.I. ACL said it plans to put all resource information in a book.

More P.E.I. news