Search results for ‘Subject term:"learning disabilities"’ Sort:
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Personal vs. proxy focus groups' perspectives on quality of life
- Authors:
- HOLBURN Steve, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities, 4(3), September 2007, p.210–212.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
The authors present a finding from a larger study that investigated variation in perspective among different stakeholder focus groups about enhancing quality of life (QoL) of individuals with intellectual disabilities living in group residences in New York. The report illustrates how self-advocates' interests in enhancing QoL were distributed approximately evenly across home life, relationships, and community, while other groups (family members, direct support staff, and residence managers) were principally concerned about QoL as it pertained to home life. This finding speaks to the importance of querying people with intellectual disabilities personally when assessing QoL.
Self-determined roommate selection for individuals with intellectual disabilities: barriers and new directions
- Author:
- WILTZ James
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities, 4(1), March 2007, pp.60-65.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
In many places, most individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) who reside in government-funded housing live with roommates. Selecting roommates can be a complicated task, and the individuals themselves seldom have any input on the decision. Although caregivers often consider self-determination to be a basic human right for people with ID, many complicated decisions are made without incorporating self-determination. One difficulty is that people with ID rely on support, whereas the concept of self-determination places an emphasis on autonomy. Therefore, delineating self-determination for people with ID involves trying to balance how much support caregivers need to provide in choice making, and it potentially can vary from individual to individual. The reality for people with ID is that the balance of support in self-determination shifts depending, not on the individual, but on the complexity of the decision being made. Probably as a result, more complicated decisions, including selecting roommates, seldom incorporate self-determination. This paper highlights the problem, and two barriers to self-determined roommate selection are identified: (1) waiting lists for residential services, and (2) the scarcity of information that is available on roommate relationships and compatibility. These barriers need to be addressed in order to increase the level of self-determination in this important life choice.
Trends in residential policies and services for people with intellectual disabilities in Taiwan
- Authors:
- CHOU Y.C., SCHALOCK R.L.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 51(2), February 2007, pp.135-141.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
In Taiwan, 92-95% of people with an intellectual disability (ID) live with their families, with the remaining residing in residential facilities. Instead of funding community-living alternatives, the Taiwanese Government funds only registered facilities as part of its residential policies and services. The purpose of this study was to evaluate current policies and services trends regarding people with an ID in Taiwan. Both documentary research, such as an analysis of policies, services programmes, official statistics, surveys, reports and funding provision reports, and a mail survey, were conducted to examine current trends and characteristics of the 96 residential settings available for people with an ID in Taiwan. During the 1990s in Taiwan, residential programmes for people with an ID showed the biggest growth since 1952. Since the first 'Community Home' was launched in 1990, the number of smaller scale residential settings with a unit size of less than 30 has grown significantly, particularly since 2000. However, the rate of institutionalization of people with an ID and who live in the institutions has also risen. In Taiwan, unlike in Western societies, residential services for people with an ID provided by formal care systems are tending to grow in number, and these include both large and smaller residential settings.
Staff knowledge of the side effects of anti-psychotic medication
- Authors:
- FRETWELL Christine, FELCE David
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 20(6), November 2007, pp.580-585.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Anti-psychotic medications are widely prescribed to people with intellectual disabilities and have a range of negative side effects. The aim was to identify the level of knowledge of anti-psychotic medications and their side effects among key carers or home managers of adults with intellectual disabilities living in residential group homes who are prescribed such medication. The sample was 25 of the 30 adults on the caseloads of community nurses in one community learning disability team in South Wales who lived in residential services and who were prescribed anti-psychotic medication. Key carers (n = 22) or home managers (n = 3) were interviewed about their knowledge of these medications and their side effects, the source of their knowledge and their needs for training. Knowledge of potential side effects was somewhat limited. Only two were identified by the majority of respondents. Most respondents felt insufficiently informed and in need of further training. There is a role for an informed professional, such as a community nurse, to ensure that carers receive good, verbal and written information about such medications and their side effects at the time of prescription.
Why are people with intellectual disability moved "out-of-area"?
- Authors:
- PERRY David W., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities, 4(3), September 2007, p.203–209.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Some people with intellectual disabilities (ID) continue to be provided with accommodations that are outside their local area, away from familiar people and places. Although studies have been scarce on this topic, there is evidence to suggest that this does not always provide the best outcome for individuals in terms of quality of life. The authors undertook a survey to look at the personal characteristics of 89 persons with ID originally from the city of Coventry in the UK, and now situated by local health or social services authorities in locations other than the immediate Coventry area. The authors found that the number of people being placed "out-of-area" is increasing; among them are persons with autistic spectrum disorder (particularly those transitioning into adulthood), those with a past history of behaviour resulting in action by the criminal justice system, and those with a history of aggression toward others. There are concerns that the commissioning and provision of "out-of-area" services echo the dehumanizing institutionalization policies that dominated the first part of the 20th century, are lacking in coordination, and are proving to be more expensive than locally provided services.
When will we ever learn?
- Author:
- KITSON Deborah
- Journal article citation:
- Community Connecting, 8, Spring 2007, pp.4-6.
- Publisher:
- Community Connecting
This article reports on institutional abuse of people with learning disabilities living in NHS run residential care in Sutton and Merton Primary Care Trust. The article summarises some of the findings of the Healthcare Commission report.
What was it all for?
- Author:
- WETHERALL Grant
- Journal article citation:
- Community Care, 11.01.07, 2007, pp.40-41.
- Publisher:
- Reed Business Information
The author, who went undercover in the notorious Longcare homes for people with learning difficulties, looks at the lessons from earlier scandals that could have helped avert last year's Cornwall scandal.
Pennine Court: remodelling sheltered housing to include extra care for people with learning difficulties
- Authors:
- LATTO Shena, CROOKES Victoria
- Publisher:
- Care Services Improvement Partnership. Housing Learning and Improvement Network
- Publication year:
- 2007
- Pagination:
- 21p.
- Place of publication:
- London
This Case Study describes the development of extra care housing opportunities for older people with learning difficulties within a conventional sheltered housing scheme in Salford. It details the key stages and features of the development process, and shares the lessons learned from this in the hope that they will be useful to other commissioners and providers of housing and support services considering/involved in: remodelling sheltered housing; developing extra care for people with learning difficulties; integrating provision for people with learning difficulties with mainstream provision for people as they age.
Staff support, staff stress and job satisfaction in working with people with learning disabilities and challenging behaviours
- Authors:
- LEYIN Alan, WAKERLY Eleanor
- Journal article citation:
- Tizard Learning Disability Review, 12(4), December 2007, pp.31-41.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
In the context of a staff development programme, the relationships between work-related stress, staff support and job satisfaction were explored among staff groups in two residential assessment and treatment facilities for people with learning disabilities and challenging behaviour. Although overall support was relatively high for both formal and informal supports, only the informal supports from colleagues were negatively correlated with ratings of work-related stress. Work-related stress and job satisfaction were shown to be independent factors and thus levels of stress could not be inferred from overall ratings of job satisfaction, or vice versa. The study identified a potentially vulnerable group of staff who reported relatively high job satisfaction but also some degree of stress.
Too sexed up!
- Author:
- McDONAGH Rosaleen
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Adult Protection, 9(4), November 2007, pp.27-33.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
The author discusses sexuality and sexual expression in relation to people with learning disabilities. The paper also makes references to the authors experiences of being sexually, physically and racially abused.