Wellbeing Services County directors' views on organizing person-centered support for ageing persons with intellectual disabilities
Keywords:
intellectual disability, disability services, ageing services, leadership, system changeAbstract
Person-centered support has become a key principle in organizing disability services under Finland’s new Disability Services Act. This article explores the capacity of wellbeing services counties to provide such support for ageing individuals with intellectual disabilities. The study aims to identify factors that, from service directors’ perspectives, hinder or promote person-centered support during the transition to old-age retirement. Data were drawn from focus group discussions with directors of disability and aging services and analyzed using content analysis. Findings show that directors recognize both enabling and constraining conditions within the service system. They seek to balance administrative demands and professional values. According to directors, achieving person-centered support requires flexible coordination of service-related legislation, stronger intersectoral collaboration, abandoning sub-optimization, and viewing aging individuals with intellectual disabilities as equal citizens rather than solely through the lens of disability.
