Community-based primary health care for adults

Abstract

Delivery of primary health care to adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) presents several challenges unique to their concerns and age. While the most significant concern is the optimization of communication on several levels, special approaches are also often required to perform physical examination and to understand the etiology of behavioral issues. These issues also influence the manner in which urgent evaluations, hospitalizations, and specialist consultations can be optimized for the individual. The role of direct service providers in supporting healthcare is addressed, as are considerations of how to make decisions around care near the end of life in the context of a lifelong severe disability. Finally, the value of continuous, comprehensive care and the associated financial requirements to enable such care, are presented as the optimal means to address all these issues.