From exclusion to later life: residential care trajectories of ageing people with intellectual disabilities in Chile
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Objectives: This study aimed to analyse residential care narratives among adults and older people with intellectual disabilities in Chile, examining their trajectories and institutional responses. Methods: A qualitative design with a dyadic approach was employed. Fifteen active and situated interviews were conducted with nine residents with intellectual disabilities (aged 45 and over) and six formal caregivers in long-term care centres. Data were analysed using a six-phase systematic thematic analysis to co-construct meanings regarding ageing and care. Results: Findings show that residential care operates both as a response to abandonment and as a space where agency, self-determination, and mutual support are negotiated in later life. While relational practices contribute to sustaining well-being, persistent risks related to medicalisation and limited future planning remain. These dynamics reflect tensions between structural constraints and everyday practices that seek to sustain dignity and continuity in later life. Conclusions: Residential care must move beyond custodial and biomedical approaches towards relational and rights-based models that recognise interdependence and support meaningful ageing trajectories. These findings highlight the need for policy and practice to address the conditions shaping ageing with intellectual disabilities.
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W7223330214