ABSTRACT
This paper describes the involvement of older people with intellectual disabilities in residential- and community-based activities and programmes. The 446 participants were selected from a national database of people of 55 years of age and over with intellectual disabilities in Australia. The data indicate that participants made infrequent use of public amenities and social and recreational facilities. With the exception of those living with relatives, most had limited contact with family and friends. The discussion draws attention to the need for independence training which will enable the current generation of middle-aged people with an intellectual disability to make decisions and choices about social and community activities.
Subject(s)
Activities of Daily Living/psychology , Intellectual Disability/rehabilitation , Social Adjustment , Social Environment , Activities of Daily Living/classification , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Australia , Female , Humans , Intellectual Disability/psychology , Interpersonal Relations , Male , Middle Aged , Residential Facilities , SocializationABSTRACT
A national Australian study of people with an intellectual disability of 55 years of age and over investigated their employment and retirement patterns, attitudes to work and retirement, and the degree to which they were involved in leisure or recreational programmes. Two cohorts were recruited: one included all known members of the target group who agreed to participate in the study in the states of Queensland and Western Australia; and the second was a proportional, random sample drawn from a national database on a state population basis. A large number of the participants had never been involved in full- or part-time employment, either in a competitive or supported environment, or in workshops. The majority of those who had worked expressed strong positive attitudes toward employment and concern about retirement, suggesting the need for pre-retirement programmes including transition and choice-making skills to prepare participants for the future.
Subject(s)
Aged , Employment, Supported , Intellectual Disability , Retirement , Australia , Female , Housing , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Severity of Illness Index , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
Residential circumstances of Australians 55 years or older with mental retardation were investigated. Data were collected via interviews from 446 individuals living in Queensland and Western Australia who were identified following an extensive national search. Although survey results indicated that older people lived in a wide variety of residential settings, the majority still resided in large private or public institutions. There is evidence that deinstitutionalization had occurred, although it affected only 35% of the cohort. One important finding in the study concerns the relatively minor role participants play in determining their future care and residential needs. Interviews established that less than 10% of those in each sample would be involved in future decision-making processes.
Subject(s)
Intellectual Disability , Residential Facilities , Aged , Australia , Cohort Studies , Deinstitutionalization , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Quality of Life , Residential TreatmentSubject(s)
Child, Gifted/psychology , Cognition , Concept Formation , Intelligence , Child , Humans , Learning Disabilities/psychologyABSTRACT
The communication skills of moderately and severely retarded persons play a major part in the success of vocational and self-help training programs in mental retardation institutions. Up to the present time, educators have attempted to overcome language deficits by training word use and comprehension skills which have immediate impact. An alternative approach which may have broader implications is to identify and develop the cognitive functions which mediate performance. Tests of two coding processes and measures of linguistic activity were administered to 100 institutionalized moderately retarded adults. Correlational analyses drew attention to the association between use and understanding of language and successive processing. However, analysis of variance based upon a double median split of simultaneous and successive processing factor scores indicated the importance of both coding dimensions in establishing syntax and relational associations. The results of the study confirmed earlier research conducted with less severely retarded and non-retarded subjects and provided evidence of the relationship between coding and linguistic functions. This research also provided a data base for the development of training programs based upon simultaneous and successive synthesis.
Subject(s)
Intellectual Disability/psychology , Australia , Female , Hospitals, Psychiatric , Humans , Intellectual Disability/physiopathology , Language , Male , MemoryABSTRACT
An information-processing model was used to examine the coding and language functions of institutionalized, moderately and severely retarded persons. Contextual grammatical structures were found to relate to sequential processing whereas comprehension and expression of relational thought was related to both sequential processing and simultaneous processing. The sample was divided into four subgroups based upon etiology. Down's syndrome residents, in general, performed more poorly on most measures than did brain-damaged subjects and subjects of unknown etiology. Down syndrome subjects were significantly less capable than others on sequential-processing tasks and in expressive language. The utility of the model was discussed in terms of remedial programming for institutionalized retarded persons.
