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Future need and demand for supported accommodation for people with learning disabilities in England
- Author:
- EMERSON Eric
- Journal article citation:
- Housing Care and Support, 8(4), December 2005, pp.17-22.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
Despite changes in the nature of supported accommodation services for people with learning disabilities, little progress was made during the ‘70’s, 80’s and 90’s in addressing the extent of unmet need. While the advent of 'Supporting People' has more recently led to an increase in the volume of provision, unmet need continues to be a major concern to people with learning disabilities and their families. There is good reason to believe that, as a result of changes in the demographic profile of people with learning disabilities, changes in expectations and changes in the pattern of informal care, this issue will become substantially more pressing over the coming two decades. This paper attempts to estimate the nature and extent of increased need.
Friendship activities of adults with intellectual disabilities in supported accommodation in Northern England
- Authors:
- EMERSON Eric, McVILLY Keith
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 17(3), September 2004, pp.191-197.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Despite there being considerable evidence to suggest that friendships are central to health and well-being, relatively little attention had been paid to the friendships of people with intellectual disabilities. Friendship activities involving people with and without intellectual disabilities were measured over the preceding month in a sample of 1542 adults with intellectual disabilities receiving supported accommodation in nine geographical localities in Northern England. The results of the study indicate: (1) low levels of friendship activities among people with intellectual disabilities in supported accommodation; (2) people with intellectual disabilities are more likely to be involved in activities with friends who also have intellectual disabilities than with friends who do not have intellectual disabilities; (3) most friendship activities take place in the public domain rather than in more private settings (e.g. at home); (4) the setting in which a person lives is a more significant determinant of the form and content of activities with their friends than the characteristics of participants. Further attention needs to be given to research and practice initiatives aimed at increasing the levels of friendship activities of people with intellectual disabilities.
Cluster housing for adults with intellectual disabilities
- Author:
- EMERSON Eric
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disability, 29(3), September 2004, pp.187-197.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
While there is extensive evidence on the overall benefits of deinstitutionalisation, the move from institutional care to providing accommodation and support in small to medium sized dispersed housing schemes has not gone uncontested. Recently, a number of commentators have argued for the development of cluster housing on the basis that it may provide a "connected" community of people with intellectual disabilities. In the present study, comparisons were made, controlling for a range of participant characteristics, on a range of input, process and outcome variables between 169 adults with intellectual disabilities living in cluster housing and 741 adults with intellectual disabilities living in dispersed housing. Participants supported in cluster housing were more likely to live in larger settings, be supported by fewer staff, be exposed to greater changes/inconsistencies in living arrangements (their home also being used for short-term care for others and greater use of casual/bank staff), be exposed to more restrictive management practices (seclusion, sedation, physical restraint, polypharmacy), lead more sedentary lives, be underweight, and participate in fewer and a more restricted range of leisure, social and friendship activities. There were few potential benefits associated with living in cluster housing. It is concluded on the basis of the available evidence that cluster housing schemes offer a poorer quality of care and quality of life than dispersed housing schemes.