The movement away from institutional care to community living, along with improved nutrition and health care, has led to an increased lifespan for individuals with intellectual disabilities. In Canada, those who were born before 1945 represent the first significant group to grow old. Despite the increasing numbers of these individuals, relatively little is known about them, their life experiences, or their needs. They remain a largely invisible, undervalued, and often overlooked population, and are seldom the focus of new policy or program initiatives. This review of Canadian literature reports on issues related to the prevalence, life expectancy and early aging of individuals with intellectual disabilities, describes the impact of changes in social policy on their life experiences, outlines the needs and expectations of older adults and their families and, finally, suggests future directions for policy development and research in Canada.
