Alzheimer’s & Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Since 2014, Alzheimer’s Orange County, in collaboration with the UCI Down Syndrome Program at UCI MIND, the Regional Center of Orange County and the Down Syndrome Association of Orange County, has provided an ongoing education and support program to individuals and families living with Down syndrome and Alzheimer’s disease.

Caregiver support groups, training sessions and conferences for families and professionals have been presented with the mission of increasing knowledge, skills, and collaboration to support quality-of-life in persons with Down syndrome and other intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).

In 2018, Alzheimer’s Orange County was awarded funding from the Administration on Community Living- Alzheimer’s Disease Program Initiative to support Special Populations Impacted by Alzheimer’s Disease, including those with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.  Through this project, Alzheimer’s Orange County provided dementia related training and consultation to service provider staff at the Regional Center of Orange County and Orange County Community Based Adult Day Services programs.

In 2020, Alzheimer’s Orange County partnered with OMID Institute for Multicultural Development in a second Administration on Community Living- Alzheimer’s Disease Program Initiative to expand this specialized training. Through this partnership, Alzheimer’s Orange County is expanding offerings of dementia care training programs to those who work with persons with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. Live and recorded trainings are available for staff in residential care, educational, vocational and activity program settings.

For more information, contact kim.bailey@alzoc.org.