Considered as a population, mentally retarded individuals have an overall shorter life expectancy than do their counterparts. Nevertheless, life expectancy among mentally retarded individuals has increased dramatically over the past few decades. Twenty years ago, people with Down syndrome were expected to live to about the age of thirty-five. Today, Down individuals are expected to reach fifty-five years of age before expiring. Life expectancy for individuals with mental retardation in general averages in the sixties, compared to a life expectancy in the seventies for individuals without mental retardation.
Age expectancy and age of death do not tell the whole story, however. Some mentally retarded individuals have special vulnerabilities to disease because of the syndrome that caused their mental retardation. Individuals with Tay-Sachs do not typically survive childhood. Individuals with Cockayne syndrome Type I die in their teens, while individuals with Cockayne Type II die before the age of seven. Cardiovascular disease and diabetes are common complications in Williams syndrome. Individuals with Down syndrome are prone to Alzheimer's disease, with affected individuals tending to die within eight years of diagnosis.
An estimated 75 percent of mentally retarded adults (some estimates say more) reside with family members who are themselves aging. As caretakers become increasingly incapacitated and unable to care for themselves, they simultaneously become unable to care for their mentally retarded adult children. Medical crises affecting caregivers immediately become doubled in such circumstances, as dependent mentally retarded adults or children become displaced and require alternative care arrangements.
Case managers from various agencies can sometimes assist in such "dual crisis" circumstances by helping to coordinate common care for all parties in need. Some nursing homes will accept both parents and dependent adult children with mental retardation, for example, and some facilities even welcome pets. Because the risk of caregivers becoming incapacitated is rather high after a certain point in their lives, it is advisable for these aging caregivers to put adequate plans in place to ensure continuity of care for their mentally retarded dependents.
