Challenges faced by ageing people with autism and their families

It  is important to refect on the defnition of  elderly’ or  ‘old age’ when applied to people

with autism. General chronological and biological age do not always coincide when people 

age, thus it is difcult to defne old age’ by a specifc age range. The health status,capacities,

level of social interaction, etc., of people with autism can vary widely, even within the same 

age group. Thus, the heterogeneity of older people should be taken into account when 

determining the age-specifc  care that should be available and some people with 

autism may

need specifc attention in relation to ageing at an earlier stage than the general population.

While the overall life expectancy of people with autism remains lower than for other 

individuals, their life expectancy is increasing along with the general population.

 According 

to various surveys, individuals with learning disabilities have a reduced life expectancy, 

however, as for the general population, the life expectancy for this group is increasing.

These studies are also indicative of increased life expectancy for people with autism, who 

can have diferent degrees’ of learning disability.

• Who will care? 

Most older adults with disabilities no longer have their parents to take care of them and 

support them to voice their needs. This raises an essential question: what will happen to 

3.3 million older people who have autism when their parents are no longer able to care for 

them or have passed away?

One of the biggest concerns for the families of adults with autism is who will care for them 

when their parents are no longer able to do so. The results of a survey conducted by the 

National Autistic Society in 2012 showed that 96 percent of parents who responded are 

worried about their son/daughter’s future when they are no longer able to support them. 

Of these, 68 percent described themselves as ‘very worried’, and 28 percent said they are 

quite worried’.30

Among the survey respondents, 35 percent had made some plans for what will happen if 

they are no longer able to support their son/daughter, but only 4 percent said they had 

planned a lot. This leaves a large number of people worried about what will happen to their 

son or daughter when they are unable to support them, but very few who have made plans 

for them.  

Recently in France, a 49 year-old man with a mental disability (who had been left without  support after the death of his mother last year) died alone in their apartment. The man’s 

body was found, months later, mummifed. This case involving a man with a mental disability

illustrates the same problem that people who have autism face: a severe lack of services 

that leave people alone and vulnerable.  

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