Improving Healthcare for People with Developmental Disabilities using Telehealth

Grantee Name

Young Adult Institute/National Institute for People with Disabilities Network

Funding Area

Special Projects Fund

Publication Date

August 2008

Grant Amount

$149,569

Grant Date:

January 2007 – January 2008

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As people with developmental disabilities age, they face the same complex medical challenges as the general aging population, need more medical supervision, and risk being institutionalized in nursing homes.

For this group, the limited nursing services that are available under the current residential model are rapidly becoming inadequate.

Young Adult Institute/National Institute for People with Disabilities Network (YAI) aimed to improve health care for people with developmental disabilities living in group or individual residences through deployment of a “telehealth” system.

Outcomes and Lessons Learned

Support a telehealth program that linked nurses and health care providers to residences for people with developmental disabilities.
Enable nurses to assess medical care issues quickly and efficiently, allowing for better decisions about when medical care was required.
Place computerized health monitoring systems in group residences and individual apartments, which measured blood pressure and glucose levels, weight, pulse, and respiration.

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