Expecting Longer Lives With Greater Risk, Reward

Down Syndrome Generation First to Outlive Parents

By Fredrick Kunkle
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, November 10, 2008; Page B01

Like many people her age, Jennifer Holden wants to be on her own. But for the 20-year-old Springfield woman, crossing streets can be frightening. Keeping track of money is difficult. And fending for herself is challenging at times for a person who loves to read but has difficulty with novels above a fifth-grade level.

"A stranger could set a trap on me," she says between bites of a cheeseburger at a Wendy's. "Kidnap me."

Holden belongs to the first generation of people with Down syndrome who will probably outlive their parents. The life expectancy of people with Down syndrome has increased from about 25 years in 1983 to more than 50, thanks largely to medical advances. Although achieving independence has long been the goal for any person with a disability, increased life expectancy has made the goal more urgent now that the baby boomer generation is graying.

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