Exploring Care and Ageing Needs of People With Learning Disabilities: An Inclusive Research Study in Chile
Félix González‐Carrasco, Izaskun Álvarez‐Aguado, Vanessa Vega CórdovaABSTRACT
Background
Aging for people with learning disabilities often occurs in contexts of inequality, affecting the continuity of support and participation in care decisions. This study utilizes inclusive research to co‐produce situated knowledge and recommendations that strengthen rights and care priorities in old age.
Methods
This qualitative, exploratory‐descriptive study was conducted with two advisory groups of people with learning disabilities acting as co‐researchers and experts by experience. Across three sequential phases (ideation, co‐analysis of external data, and prioritization of needs), participants co‐produced recommendations using accessible tools such as easy‐read materials, pictograms, and moodboards.
Findings
Four key domains emerged: fragmented programs and services with cognitive accessibility barriers; health and wellbeing issues regarding irregular follow‐ups and medicalization; post‐parental planning to anticipate housing and avoid non‐consensual care burdens; and perceptions of aging involving fears of grief and loneliness.
Conclusions
Co‐producing care needs promotes epistemic justice by redistributing interpretive authority to people with learning disabilities. The study advocates for integrated care models based on cognitive accessibility and person‐centered anticipatory planning to prevent reactive decision‐making in old age.