Dr. Shooshtari awarded at IASSIDD for research paper

Congratulations to Dr. Shahin Shooshtari on receiving the highly commended award for her paper on “Aging with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Manitoba”. She received the award while at the 5th IASSIDD (International Association for the Scientific Study of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities) European Congress in Athens, Greece this summer.
The research paper found that of the 8,655 Manitoban adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) identified, 8.1% had an indication of dementia in their medical records; three times greater than that found for those without IDD (2.6%). More than 17% of Manitobans with IDD aged 55+ years had an indication of dementia, which was nearly twice the rate reported previously. The paper recommends increased dementia screening and supports for aging individuals with IDD.