Aging Parents Wonder Who Will Care for Their Adult Child Once They Are Gone?

This story illustrates a problem that so many aging parents of adult children with disabilities are facing every day. Who will be there to take care of their child once they are gone? Families need to plan now. But the other issue is with state budgets getting tighter, will there be sufficient homes for individuals with disabilities?

BRIDGETOWN, Ohio -- Best friends Julia Ricke and Michelle Dunford enjoy being together, whether to eat out, see a movie or shop.
"We grew up together," says Julia, 27, who like her 26-year-old friend, has Down syndrome.
Together, they hope one day to gain more independence by moving out of their parents' homes and into a place called BeauVita, which combines the French word "beau" and Latin word "vita" to mean "beautiful life."
"That's what we want for our sons and daughters," says Julia's father, Mike Ricke of Bridgetown. He and his wife, Barb, both 54, are one of five West Side couples leading the effort to build BeauVita, a supervised residential community with support services for up to 50 people with developmental disabilities.
The parents who are involved "all realized we had a common concern and a common goal," Ricke says. "We're all getting older. We're realizing there's going to come the day when we can no longer take care of our family members (with disabilities). We need something in place that we know ultimately will be there for them."
The issue of where adults with developmental disabilities will live and who will care for them looms large locally and across the country. About 16 million people in the U.S. have developmental delays that interfere with daily activities, the Census Bureau says.