#23 Helping elderly people with autism
Recently, the diagnosis of autism in the elderly has been increasing. As a result, the need for care and support is also rising sharply.
My diagnosis came as a sledgehammer blow. I always felt I was “different,” but avoided it all my life
Many older people with autism have been diagnosed late. They have struggled for a lifetime because they do not understand others, do not feel understood, do not know “how things are done” in social interaction and feel unhappy about it.
What does it mean when you are diagnosed with autism later in life? And how can you talk about it with those around you? You have autism and would like to clarify to others how things work for you. You would also like to understand how the other person, without autism, experiences life. Having such a reciprocal conversation is quite difficult, but can be very rewarding.
A set of conversation cards has been developed to support the elderly: Wensen en Grenzen. Using question and interaction cards, a reciprocal conversation is stimulated. To understand each other better.
In this film, three adults with autism talk about their experiences with these conversation cards. One of the developers also speaks.
