DR. CAROLYN GRAFF PRESENTS RESEARCH AT DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES CONFERENCE IN ATLANTA
 Dr. Carolyn Graff |
Dr. Graff has more than a 20 year history of working with individuals with developmental disabilities. In this presentation, she described the settings in which individuals with developmental disabilities receive health services and the resources that are needed to provide high quality health care for these individuals. At this time in the USA, people with disabilities are living longer than they've ever lived, which means that the health care of persons with cerebral palsy, Down syndrome and other developmental disabilities is of increasing concern.
Dr. Graff highlighted the many successes in providing care for persons with developmental disabilities. Family-centered and person-centered care is becoming more the norm. Cultural competence has been a focus for team members, whether of persons from a different racial or ethnic group or persons who are from the deaf culture. The supports and services across the lifespan have been increased, as has spiritual care provision. The definition of mental retardation has been changed, with influential organizations such as the American Association of Mental Retardation and the American Psychological Association, moving away from a definition of 70 or below on IQ testing to more of a functional stance. Internationally, the verbiage is moving away from "mental retardation" to "intellectual disabilities."
The challenges are, likewise, many. It is unclear whether or not the 7.2 million individuals with intellectual disabilities living in the US are receiving services and supports they need to develop and grow as they live in their communities. There is a lack of interpreters in healthcare facilities serving individuals with disabilities. According to Dr. Graff, "nurses are known in not a positive manner about how we speak about persons with disabilities. Very often nurses say 'disabled child' or 'Down syndrome adult' when what we should be saying is 'child with a disability' and 'adult with Down syndrome.'
Numerous factors contribute to disparities, including economics, varying health infrastructure vitality, educational, underestimation and lack of understanding, fear of change, and inertia. "Economics are very important," says Dr. Graff. "In some cases parents who love each other have to divorce, with one of them moving away from the family unit, so that their homes and property are not taken away from them."
Dr. Graff noted the importance of the healthcare team being aware of and using evidence-based practice. To provide the best healthcare for persons with developmental disabilities, there needs to be collaboration across disciplines and geographic areas, continuing our education formally as well as informally. "As members of a total health delivery system, we must demonstrate excellence in our ability to communicate, collaborate, and educate," stated Dr. Graff.
Dr. Graff is an Assistant Professor of Nursing and Assistant Dean for Student Affairs in the College of Nursing. She is also Chief of Nursing at the Boling Center for Developmental Disabilities, a University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research, and Service. Her PhD and MN are from the University of Kansas, and she received her BSN from the Medical College of Georgia. Dr. Graff's research focuses on siblings of children with developmental disabilities and chronic illnesses and the health of relative caregivers.
She is President of the Nursing Division of the American Association on Mental Retardation and a member of the Society of Pediatric Nurses' Research Committee, and Faculty Counselor for the Beta-Theta-at-Large Chapter, Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society. As well, she holds membership in the American Nurses Association and the International Society of Nurses in Genetics.
Read more about Dr. Graff and her activities at her UTHSC webpage.
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