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Common areas in group homes: arenas for different interests?
- Authors:
- OLIN Elisabeth, JANSSON Ringsby
- Journal article citation:
- European Journal of Social Work, 11(3), 2008, pp.251-265.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
In Sweden, more than 5000 people with intellectual disabilities have moved from institutions into new types of integrated housing areas during the last decade. In order to safeguard the residents' private lives, the role of the private sphere has been exaggerated and, subsequently, the importance of other more collective spheres has been underrated. This article examines the function, the use and the staffs' ideas of common areas in various kinds of group accommodations in Sweden. The data consist of qualitative interviews with 34 individuals with intellectual disabilities, interviews with members of staff at the group homes and participant observations. The analysis focuses on the ways in which placement, architecture and decoration of the common areas as well as the staffs' ideas and approaches influence the residents' everyday lives. Three types of common areas were consequently identified: the restrictive, the familiar and the neutral room.
Do smaller homes result in increased integration?
- Author:
- BALLINGER Claire
- Journal article citation:
- Mental Handicap Research, 6(4), 1993, pp.303-311.
- Publisher:
- BIMH Publications
One of the best publicised consequences of the policy of community care is the resettlement of people with a mental handicap from large institutions into homes in the community. Normalisation dictates that smaller residences have greater potential for integration than larger ones. The aim of the study reported here was to investigate whether there is a difference in the number of community contacts made by residents with a mental handicap living in small and large community units. Community contacts of 40 individuals with a mental handicap were recorded by care staff for a period of four weeks. Twenty one of the subjects lived in three flats, with seven, ten and eight beds respectively and the remaining 19 lived in a large unit with 24 beds. Results show that people residing in the smaller units experienced significantly more community contacts than those in the large unit. Areas for further study are identified.
The social networks of people with intellectual disability living in the community 12 years after resettlement from long-stay hospitals
- Authors:
- FORRESTER-JONES Rachel, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 19(4), December 2006, pp.285-295.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
The social inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities presents a major challenge to services. As part of a 12-year follow up of people resettled from long-stay hospitals, the size of 213 individuals' social networks and the types of social support they received were investigated, as viewed by people with intellectual disabilities themselves. The types of support received in four different kinds of community accommodation were compared. Individuals were interviewed and their social support networks mapped using a Social Network Guide developed for the study. Descriptive statistics were generated and comparisons made using generalized linear modelling. The sample comprised 117 men (average age 51 years) and 96 women (average age 56 years). All but seven were White British, 92% were single and they had in general, mild to moderate intellectual disabilities. The average network size was 22 members (range 3–51). The mean density was 0.5. A quarter of all network members were other service users with intellectual disabilities and a further 43% were staff. Only a third of the members were unrelated to learning disability services. In general, the main providers of both emotional and practical support were staff, although these relationships were less likely to be described as reciprocal. Other people with intellectual disabilities were the second most frequent providers of all types of support. People in small group homes, hostels and supported accommodation were significantly more likely to report close and companiable relationships than those in residential and nursing homes, but they also reported a greater proportion of critical behaviour. The social networks revealed in this study are considerably larger than those of previous studies which have relied on staff reports, but findings about the generally limited social integration of people with intellectual disabilities are similar. A clearer policy and practice focus on the desirability of a range of different social contexts from which to derive potentially supportive network members is required so that people do not remain segregated in one area of life.
The impact on social relationships of moving from congregated settings to personalized accommodation
- Authors:
- McCONKEY Roy, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual Disabilities, 23(2), 2019, pp.149-159.
- Publisher:
- Sage
- Place of publication:
- London
A natural experiment contrasted the social relationships of people with intellectual disabilities (n = 110) before and after they moved from congregated settings to either personalized accommodation or group homes. Contrasts could also be drawn with individuals who had enduring mental health problems (n = 46) and who experienced similar moves. Face-to-face interviews were conducted in each person’s residence on two occasions approximately 24 months apart. Multivariate statistical analyses were used to determine significant effects. Greater proportions of people living in personalized settings scored higher on the five chosen indicators of social relationships than did persons living in grouped accommodation. However, multivariate statistical analyses identified that only one in five persons increased their social relationships as a result of changes in their accommodation, particularly persons with an intellectual disability and high support needs. These findings reinforce the extent of social isolation experienced by people with disabilities and mental health problems that changes in their accommodation only partially counter. (Edited publisher abstract)