For the ears, you can listen to an audio recording [high fidelity audio playable under all personal computer operating systems via VLC media player, Microsoft Windows Media Player with the Xiph.org codecs for FLAC et al, OS X QuickTime with the XiphQT plugin, etc., on many Android-based mobile devices, and on iOS-based mobile devices via apps such as FLAC Player or Golden Ear]

We learned some about the experience of living in one of Reality's Friendship Houses.

Statistics on Aging Caregivers

• 75% of adults with I/DD live with their parents or other family members.
• In the U.S. today, there are nearly one million households in which an adult with I/DD is living with caregivers 60 or older.
• Nationwide, half of caregivers are older than 50, and 10% are 75 or older.
• Family and Individual Needs for Disability Supports (FINDS) survey, conducted by The Arc in collaboration with the University of Minnesota, shows 52% of caregivers spend at least 40 hours a week supporting their family member with I/DD - nearly double what children caring for aging parents and spouses reported in a recent National Alliance for Caregiving/AARP study.

The following is a list of concerns of aging caregiving

• The quality of support for the person with I/DD will go down (89%).
• The person with I/DD will not have friends or will be socially isolated (78%).
• No one else will provide support for the family member with I/DD (78%).
• The person with I/DD will have to live somewhere he or she does not want to live, such as a nursing home or institution (76%).
• The family member with I/DD will see his or her health deteriorate (74%).
• The person with I/DD will be abused or neglected (73.0%).
• The person with I/DD will be financially exploited (62%).

Source: Elizabeth Mahar, "Older Caregivers of People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities," https://www.giaging.org/issues/older-caregivers-of-people-with-intellectual-developmental-disabilities