Assessment of Support for Independent Living: Perspectives of People With Intellectual Disabilities and Support Professionals.
Judit Fullana, Maria Pallisera, Gemma Díaz-Garolera
PMID 40521946WHAT IT FOUND
Adults with intellectual disabilities rated support for independent living more positively when they lived in their own homes than in group homes.
Professionals and recipients disagreed on home belonging, respect, transport, technology, leisure and support evaluation.
Key findings
01Adults with intellectual disabilities living in their own homes rated support more positively than adults living in group homes on 14 of 21 indicators.
02Professionals and adults receiving support disagreed on several indicators: professionals rated age, home sense of belonging, respect, transport and technology more positively, while adults rated leisure and culture and support assessment more positively.
03Professionals who supported people in their own homes rated institutional approaches more positively than professionals who supported people in group homes.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
Support staff helped adults with intellectual disabilities complete the questionnaire, so the research team had limited control over how responses were obtained. The recipient form had acceptable internal consistency for only 13 of 21 indicators. The study did not include people with extensive support needs. The group-home comparison included 31 adults, so those results are weak. The study compared ratings from people already living in different settings, so it cannot show that support in own homes caused better ratings.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was funded by Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the better ratings for people living in their own homes as proof that a move from a group home to personalised support will improve their lives. The study compared ratings from people already living in different settings. It also excluded people with extensive support needs.