Search results for ‘Subject term:"learning disabilities"’ Sort:
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Relationship disruption in adults with cognitive disabilities
- Authors:
- RUNNION Vicki M., WOLFER Terry A.
- Journal article citation:
- Families in Society, 85(2), April 2004, pp.205-213.
- Publisher:
- The Alliance for Children and Families
Adults with cognitive disabilities residing in group homes face special challenges in establishing and maintaining friendships, and in coping when they are disrupted - for example, when a housemate moves to a different level of care, or a staff member quits or is dismissed. On the basis of a small scale qualitative study, this article raises concerns about the frequency of such disruptions - their psychological and social effects in the lives of people with limited cognitive abilities and limited social support. It also highlights a number of difficulties for participants in telling their stories of loss and suggests steps that agencies, social workers and family members can take to support significant relationships for people with cognitive disabilities, even when disruptions are unavoidable.
Breaking barriers
- Author:
- McDONOUGH Tom
- Journal article citation:
- Viewpoint, November 2006, pp.20-23.
- Publisher:
- Mencap/Gateway
The author discusses the barriers that exist for people with learning disabilities who are looking to have a relationship. The article includes details of the experiences of one women with learning disabilities.
The dangers of 'ivory tower' management
- Author:
- O'DRISCOLL David
- Journal article citation:
- Community Living, 20(2), November 2006, pp.18-19.
- Publisher:
- Hexagon Publishing
The author explores some of the difficulties support staff in residential and day care may experience with their managers and how this organisational culture can impact on this relationship. He looks particularly at managers who become too involved in administration and distance themselves from the daily activities, avoiding being with clients and staff.
An evaluation of specialized community-based residential supports for people with challenging behaviour
- Authors:
- GOLDING Laura, EMERSON Eric, THORNTON Amanda
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual Disabilities, 9(2), June 2005, pp.145-154.
- Publisher:
- Sage
- Place of publication:
- London
This study explored the effects of relocation from institutional to specialized community-based residential provision for six men with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities and challenging behaviour and for a comparison group of six men with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities and challenging behaviour who were already living in specialized community based residential provision. Relocation was associated with: (1) a significant increase in participants’ domestic activity skills; (2) a decrease in the observed occurrence of some problem behaviours; (3) an increase in quality of life; and (4) an increase in engagement and staff contact. The community group, however, also showed some improvements over time, most notably in their levels of engagement in meaningful activity and staff contact. The implications of these results for service provision and suggestions for future research are discussed.
House and housemate: an exploratory study of residential setting, interpersonal interactions and aggression in two persons with intellectual disabilities
- Authors:
- WARREN Keith, NEWSOMESean, ROE Brian
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Social Service Research, 4(30), 2004, pp.69-84.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Studies have consistently found higher levels of aggressive and auto-aggressive behavior among intellectually disabled (ID) residents of institutions and group homes than among ID residents in the community. However, the reasons for this discrepancy remain unclear. This exploratory study suggests that group living situations may increase the volatility of aggressive and auto-aggressive behaviors by leading to unstable nonlinear dynamics and providing the opportunity for deleterious interactions between residents. Nonlinear time series analysis of the aggressive and auto-aggressive behaviors of two group home residents provides initial support for these hypotheses. These findings lend support to the idea that community residence can be an important tool for decreasing aggressive behaviors. They also suggest that social workers might wish to give greater weight to the housemate choices of ID consumers so as to avoid deleterious housemate interactions. (Copies of this article are available from: Haworth Document Delivery Centre Haworth Press Inc., 10 Alice Street Binghamton, NY 13904-1580)
Sibling roles in the lives of older group home residents with intellectual disability: working with staff to safeguard wellbeing
- Authors:
- BIGBY Christine, WEBBER Ruth, BOWERS Barbara
- Journal article citation:
- Australian Social Work, 68(4), 2015, pp.453-468.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
When parents die, siblings of older people with intellectual disability are likely to take responsibility for oversight of their wellbeing and negotiation with formal support services. This study explored the roles siblings played in the lives of older people with intellectual disability who live in group homes, and the relationships between residents’ siblings and group home staff. The siblings of 13 group home residents and the 17 supervisory staff associated with these services were interviewed, initially face-to-face and then intermittently by phone over a period of three years. Data were analysed using an inductive analytical approach. Siblings valued the relationship with their brother or sister with intellectual disability and played a significant role in safeguarding their wellbeing. Sibling–staff relationships fluctuated over time, sometimes becoming tense and difficult. Few protocols guided these relationships. A principle-based framework could facilitate negotiation between staff and siblings about expectations of communication and decision making. (Publisher abstract)
Unhappy anniversary?
- Authors:
- HANLEY Joe, MARSLAND David
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Adult Protection, 16(2), 2014, pp.104-112.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the importance and nature of relationships of trust in care settings. The paper addresses the central question of what is it about these kinds of relationships that is associated with harm and abuse? Design/methodology/approach: The paper takes a discursive approach, based, implicitly, on an ecological framework of analysis. The analysis draws on the broad array of enquiries, studies, reports and serious case reviews (SCRs) that are available on specific adult safeguarding issues. Findings: The conclusion is that the relationships between staff and service users in residential care settings are characterised by non-mutual dependency, isolation and unequal decision-making powers. Therefore such relationships deserve special focus and attention in order to safeguard and protect the people concerned. Practical implications: The paper implies that practitioners and policy makers should find ways to ensure that they listen more closely to people living in residential settings. Practitioners should ask more about the quality of relationships that people enjoy with the staff that support them. Originality/value: The paper suggests that in order to safeguard people more effectively, practitioners and policy makers should reconsider the central focus of their energies and revisit issues such as isolation, in the lives of disabled and older people living in residential care. (Edited publisher abstract)
'May we please have sex tonight?'– people with learning difficulties pursuing privacy in residential group settings
- Author:
- HOLLOMOTZ Andrea
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 37(2), June 2009, pp.91-97.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Many residential group settings for people with learning difficulties do not provide individuals with the private space in which they can explore their sexual relationships in a safe and dignified manner. Lack of agreed private spaces seriously infringes the individual's human rights. Many people with learning difficulties who lack privacy have no other option but to escape to isolated public or semi-private spaces to be sexually active. This places individuals at risk. It is suggested that self-advocacy driven policy guidance must be developed which must require residential services to review their practice to ensure that they accommodate residents' need for privacy, whilst supporting them to lead safe sexual relationships.
'Now I'd like to sleep with Rachael' - researching sexuality support in a service agency group home
- Author:
- HAMILTON Carol Anne
- Journal article citation:
- Disability and Society, 24(3), May 2009, pp.303-315.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Many intellectually disabled people living in agency services require significant forms of support to live safe and satisfying sexual lives. Research reveals that despite support personnel working in service systems now holding largely positive attitudes towards sexuality assistance, proactive practice is rarely initiated. This article probes what might lie within this attitude/assistance gap. This investigation reveals a complex picture of practices that rely on intellectually disabled people showing conformation to a 'couple doing normal' ideal, so as to be judged capable of being supported. It examines how wider social locations of meaning related to 'intellectual disability' and 'sexuality' might substantiate these judgement calls. The degree to which it can be said that worker's own attitudes and values underpin their reluctance to provide support is then explored. Finally, why researchers and practitioners might need to reappraise the complex interactions that shape worker's practice in this area is discussed.
A manifesto for the use of video in service improvement and staff development in residential services for people with learning disabilities
- Authors:
- FINLAY W Mick L., ANTAKI Charles, WALTON Chris
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 36(4), December 2008, pp.227-231.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
The authors argue that video recording of actual practice should be a central tool for organisations attempting to improve services for people with learning disabilities. Since an important site for the disempowerment of service-users is in everyday, mundane interactions with service staff, an approach to staff development is needed which allows workers to see what they actually do and how they might do it differently. Research illustrates that retrospective self-reports of what people habitually do cannot capture much of the important details of communicative interaction. It is argued that video recordings are the best way of doing this, and provide examples from our own work of the type of benefits that can arise. Finally, a set of guidelines are provided for the use of video recording in reflective practice in services.