This Forum is designed to be interactive and action oriented. Participate in lively discussions and planning related to policy and systems change, leadership, management, transition, career development, and integrated employment.

This webinar will discuss emerging research and practice in supporting social networks of adults aging with intellectual disabilities. After a brief introduction on aging in this population, the webinar will discuss the role of social relations in later life and address the state of knowledge regarding the social support networks of older adults with intellectual disabilities. The webinar will provide a discussion of the role of support services in promoting informal networks and conclude with an exploration of the use of social network mapping and life story work in person-centered planning.

Dr. Acharya will review the most recent data about health care transition for adolescents and young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). During the webinar, she will describe standard of care for health care transition and highlight strategies to support the transition to aDr. Acharya is a board certified developmental and behavioral pediatrician and internist at the University of Illinois at Chicago and the director of the Illinois Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) Program. Dr. Acharya cares for individuals with developmental disabilities using a lifespan perspective from childhood to adulthood. She is particularly interested in supporting adolescents and young adults with developmental disabilities as they transition to adult-systems of care and beyond.dult-centered health care for this population.

Many organizations are seeing the aging of their clientele and their numbers increase, and concerns are growing about how to deal with age-associated effects evidenced with aging. One such age-associated condition, Alzheimer's disease (and related dementias), affects a significant number of adults with Down syndrome (about 65% of adults age more than 60) and a proportional number of adults with other causes of intellectual disability (about 6% of adults age more than 60). Many at-risk adults live on their own or with friends, and many affected adults live in small community group homes or with their families. How to provide sound and responsive community care is becoming a challenge for agencies faced with an increasing number of such affected adults. This webinar covers key elements of dementia and how it affects adults with intellectual disabilities, provides a brief overview of screening and assessment strategies and methods, and examines ways that organizations can employ to adapt their current services to make them dementia capable. Specifically covered are the elements and types of dementia, as well its onset, duration and effect, and techniques for adapting environments, aiding with staff interactions and communication, as well as challenges to active and supportive programming. Models for supports depending on the stage of dementia are also discussed, as are training foci areas and community care models that provide for "dementia capable" supports and services. Special attention is given to the use of group homes as a viable community care model.

While end-of-life issues are increasingly gaining more attention, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) continue to receive significantly less consideration in research, education, and clinical practice compared with the general population. This is a growing concern especially since the sheer number of persons aging with IDD is expected to double between 2000 and 2030. Furthermore, as policies continue shifting to reflect a preference for home and community-based services as an alternative to institutionalization, adult day services (ADS) have the potential of becoming ideal settings for receipt of end-of-life care, especially for individuals with IDD. However, end-of-life care and advance planning most commonly occur in long-term care settings, for the general population, and have historically been less of a priority in ADS and residential services for people with IDD. This presentation discusses findings from a study around the attitudes of, and collaboration between, ADS and end-of-life providers for aging adults including persons with IDD. We will also explore how ADS may be a great pathway for delivering end-of-life care to the IDD population and provide guiding recommendations.

Across the country, states are transforming the way they finance and deliver Medicaid long-term services and supports for individuals with disabilities. This webinar provided an overview of Managed Long-Term Services and Supports (MLTSS), explained key issues for individuals with ID/DD, and highlighted recommendations contained in the report.

The HHS Partnership Center is hosting a series of interactive webinars to discuss the benefits and provisions of the Affordable Care Act. All webinars are open to the public and include a question and answer session.

This year's annual conference, centered on Inclusive Communities, will feature professionals sharing guidelines on the effective practices, research and updated policies regarding the needs of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Topics covered at the conference include: aging, education, employment, person centered supports, community access and many more.