The Congregation at Duke University Chapel

Reality Ministries and the Friendship Houses

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]

Reality Ministries and the Friendship Houses

presentation at Adult Forum by
Joseph Kovas,
Divinity School Intern for the Congregation
November 24, 2019

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