Views about Planning for the Future among Parents and Siblings of Adults with Mental Retardation

Forty-one pairs of parents and siblings of adult family members with mental retardation completed questionnaires concerning future planning. Family members with mental retardation were living with one or both of their parents. Although almost half of the siblings were willing to assume caregiving responsibilities in the future, parents were reluctant to have them take on caregiving. Cognitive demands of the adult-children with mental retardation and family communication were predictive of siblings' willingness to help with future caregiving. Physical incapacities of adult-children were related to parents' future plans and their disinterest in having family members assume future caretaking. Implications for assisting families with permanency planning are discussed.