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Views of family carers to the future accommodation and support needs of their relatives with intellectual disabilities

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 June 2014

Roy McConkey ,
Jayne McConaghie ,
Owen Barr  and
Paul Roberts
Roy McConkey
Affiliation:
School of Nursing, University of Ulster, Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland, BT37 0QB
Jayne McConaghie
Affiliation:
Institute of Nursing Research, University of Ulster, Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland, BT37 0QB
Owen Barr
Affiliation:
Institute of Nursing Research, University of Ulster, Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland, BT37 0QB
Paul Roberts
Affiliation:
Positive Futures, Northern Ireland
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Abstract

Objectives: The demand for places in supported accommodation is likely to rise due to the increasing longevity of people with intellectual disabilities and as their parents become unavailable or unable to care for them. However few attempts have been made to ascertain carer's views on alternative accommodation.

Method: Four studies were undertaken in Northern Ireland to ascertain carer's views using three different methods. In all, 387 carers participated with the response being greatest for individual interviews conducted in the family home and least for self-completed questionnaires and attendance at group meetings.

Results: The majority of carers envisaged the person continuing to be cared for within the family. The most commonly chosen out-of-home provision was in residential or nursing homes, living with support in a house of their own and in homes for small groups of people. Few carers chose living with another family. However only small numbers of carers envisaged alternative provision being needed in the next two years and few had made any plans for alternative living arrangements.

Conclusions: The implications for service planning are noted, primarily the need for individual reviews of future needs through person-centred planning; improved information to carers about various residential options and their differential benefits, along with more services aimed at improving the quality of life of people living with family carers. These need to be underpinned by a commitment of statutory agencies to partnership working with family carers. The implications for mental health services are noted.

Keywords

Family carersfuture needshousing and supportintellectual disabilities.
Type
Brief Reports
Information
Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine , Volume 23 , Issue 4 , December 2006 , pp. 140 - 144
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2006

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