There were positive results from the supplement, with 45% of respondents viewing their health as excellent or very good. The results also indicate that people with an intellectual disability are a population with a low prevalence of disease (although 33.9% had high cholesterol).

However, 55% of the sample suffered from an emotional, nervous or psychiatric condition. Interaction with other people also emerged as a problem, 80% of social interaction being with staff or family in the place of residence and 52% of respondents saying that they feel lonely. The level of employment amongst respondents was also very low.

In addition to delivering the preliminary findings, the conference featured a number of eminent speakers on intellectual disabilities and ageing. The keynote address was delivered by Professor Christine Bigby of La Trobe University on the experience of ageing with an intellectual disability. She spoke about how new perspectives on ageing are emerging, from traditional images of dependence and passivity to an older age of activity and participation. She argued that ageing has to be viewed in the life course perspective and that there are multiple determinants of active ageing.

Professor Roy McConkey from the University of Ulster described a CARDI-funded all-island study of ageing and intellectual disability that he is conducting. He explained that the next generation of older people with an intellectual disability are already with us, but that this can bring additional pressures.

A US perspective was given by Professor Philip McCallion, Director of the Center for Excellence in Aging and Community Wellness  at the University of Albany. He discussed issues relating to ageing research and highlighted the heavy dependence on telephone response surveys in the US which has resulted in and many people with intellectual disabilities being under-represented.

Professor Charles Normand, a co-principal investigator on the TILDA project said the aim that TILDA should be as widely used and available as possible to maximise its impact. He also argued that the use of chronological age as a simple indicator for ageing can be dangerous.

Professor Des O’Neill, a consultant geriatrician, decried the recent headlines using phrases like “pensions timebomb” or “apocalyptic demography”. He referenced evidence from the US which showed that the longevity increase added $3.2 trillion per year to the economy between 1970 and 2000.

The well attended conference demonstrated a high level of interest in the issues surrounding ageing with an intellectual disability in Ireland.