Care and rehabilitation institutions for people with intellectual disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic: Polish experiences

Psychosocial Functioning ◽

Institutional Support ◽

Educational Services ◽

Online Questionnaire ◽

The People ◽

Research Goal ◽

Residential Rehabilitation

People with intellectual disabilities benefit from many forms of institutional support, which include residential, rehabilitation, and educational services. Changes caused by the pandemic, especially the introduction of new rules relating to various aspects of life, raised several challenges and problems in the functioning of these institutions and for the people with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research concerned facilities providing services for people with intellectual disabilities in Poland during the pandemic. The research goal was to determine what changes took place in the rehabilitation and care institutions during the pandemic in terms of their organization and the functioning of their clients and personnel. An online questionnaire was used. The respondents were institution employees. Data showed a number of preventive, educational, and supportive activities carried out by the institutions. Adverse changes in the psychosocial functioning of people with intellectual disabilities and other problems during the pandemic were reported.

Sexual Health in Spanish People with Intellectual Disability: the Impact of the Lockdown due to COVID-19

Sexuality Research and Social Policy ◽

10.1007/s13178-021-00621-7 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

M. Dolores Gil-Llario ◽

Irene Díaz-Rodríguez ◽

Vicente Morell-Mengual ◽

Beatriz Gil-Juliá ◽

Rafael Ballester-Arnal

Keyword(s):

Sexual Abuse ◽

Sexual Behavior ◽

Sexual Health ◽

Sexual Activity ◽

Policy Implications ◽

The People ◽

Technological Improvements ◽

The Impact

Abstract Introduction The lockdown due to COVID-19 affected the sexual health of the people with intellectual disabilities by differentially modifying the frequency and characteristics of people’s sexual activity depending on whether or not they lived with a partner during this period. The aim of this study was to analyze the extent to which the sexual behavior of people with intellectual disabilities (with and without a partner) was affected during the lockdown. Methods The sample consisted of 73 people with intellectual disabilities between 21 and 63 years old (M = 39.63; SD = 10.11). The variables analyzed were the physical, social, and technological environment during the lockdown, sexual appetite, sexual behavior, online sexual activity, and sexual abuse. The data were collected between the months of May and June of 2020. Results The lockdown increased the sexual appetite of a third of the sample (38%), especially the youngest participants. Sexual activity focused on autoeroticism and online behavior, particularly sending nude images of oneself (88%) and viewing pornography (83.6%). Rates of sexual abuse during this period were relatively high (6.8%). Conclusions The sexual activity of people with ID was important during the lockdown, and they had to adapt to the circumstances of isolation in a similar way to the general population. Technological improvements in terms of devices and connection quality at home allowed their sexual behavior to be reoriented, opening the door to new risks for the sexual health of people with ID. Policy Implications Cybersex and the increase in sexual abuse due to confinement are aspects that should be included in programs to improve the sexual health of this group.

Public Attitudes Toward People With Intellectual Disabilities After Viewing Olympic or Paralympic Performance

Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly ◽

10.1123/apaq.2014-0136 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 32 (1) ◽

pp. 19-33 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Kate Ferrara ◽

Jan Burns ◽

Hayley Mills

Keyword(s):

Media Coverage ◽

Public Attitudes ◽

Term Effect ◽

Attitudes Toward Disability ◽

Short Term ◽

Negative Attitudes ◽

Positive Direction ◽

Despite some changes to the way that people with intellectual disabilities (ID) are viewed in society, negative attitudes prevail. One of the aspirations of the 2012 Paralympic games was to influence the public’s attitudes toward people with disabilities. The aim of this study was to investigate whether stimuli depicting people with ID performing at Paralympic level of competition change attitudes toward ID. A mixed randomized comparison design was employed comparing 2 groups: those who viewed Paralympic-level ID sport footage and information and those who viewed Olympic footage and information. One hundred fourteen students, mean age 25 yr, were administered measures of implicit (subconscious) attitudes toward disability and explicit (belief-based) attitudes toward ID. Implicit attitudes significantly changed in a positive direction for both groups. The findings provide evidence that both Paralympic (ID) and Olympic media coverage may have at least a short-term effect on attitudes toward people with disabilities.

Emancipatoir organisatieonderzoek naar de invoering van een cliëntvolgsysteem

KWALON ◽

10.5117/2015.020.002.032 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 20 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Yvonne Timmermans ◽

Annemiek Stoopendaal

Keyword(s):

Qualitative Research ◽

Organizational Change ◽

Building Trust ◽

The People ◽

Change In Practice ◽

Emancipatory qualitative research into an organizational change from the perspective of clients with intellectual disabilities and their attending professionals Emancipatory qualitative research into an organizational change from the perspective of clients with intellectual disabilities and their attending professionals This emancipatory research studied the effects of an organizational change in an institute for people with intellectual disabilities both from the perspective of clients and of their attending professionals. Data was collected through observations followed by interviews. First, professionals were interviewed to obtain an image of the organizational change in practice. Then, the clients were observed and interviewed. The sequencing of these methods enabled the interviews with the people with intellectual disabilities by building trust and by using concrete examples that came to the fore during the observations.

PEOPLE WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY COMPARED TO OTHER TYPES OF DISABILITIES

Polityka Społeczna ◽

10.5604/01.3001.0015.5573 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 571 (10) ◽

pp. 23-28

Author(s):

Elżbieta Zakrzewska-Manterys

Keyword(s):

Public Support ◽

Well Being ◽

Support Needs ◽

Disabled People ◽

Specific Group ◽

Starting Point ◽

Different Types ◽

Disability is a wide concept, encompassing different types of disability, different capabilities of people with disabilities and different social support needs. People with intellectual disabilities belong to a specific group. They do not fit into the mainstream of support and activation measures for disabled people. Although they are a small group (about 1%), they require care which is not provided within the current social policy towards people with disabilities. The article provides examples of public activities unfavourable and favourable for the well-being of people with intellectual disabilities. This could be a starting point for a preparation of a policy project of accurate public support for this group of people

Assessment

Oxford Handbook of Learning and Intellectual Disability Nursing ◽

10.1093/med/9780198782872.003.0004 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 79-112

Author(s):

Owen Barr ◽

Bob Gates

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Nursing Care ◽

Nursing Interventions ◽

Physical And Mental Health ◽

Nursing Assessment ◽

The People ◽

Social Abilities ◽

Pain Distress

It is a professional requirement of nursing regulators such as the Nursing and Midwifery Council and the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland that all nursing interventions should be based upon, and underpinned by, an accurate and structured nursing assessment of a person’s physical, mental, and social abilities and needs. Nurses need to have an understanding of how to assess changes in a person’s physical and mental health, including their level of pain, distress, and ability to make informed decisions, and how this may fluctuate in different settings and across the lifespan. They also need to be alert to the risks of diagnostic overshadowing when undertaking assessments, from which they will plan nursing care in collaboration with the people with intellectual disabilities and their carer/carers.

Tolerance and inclusive competence as the main components of an inclusive culture

SHS Web of Conferences ◽

10.1051/shsconf/20197010006 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 70 ◽

pp. 10006

Author(s):

Tatyana Lisovskaya ◽

Tatyana Zhuk

Keyword(s):

Disabled Children ◽

Intellectually Disabled ◽

Social Rehabilitation ◽

The People ◽

The Republic ◽

Main Components

The article raises the problems of the formation of an inclusive culture of teachers working with intellectually disabled children in centers of social and professional rehabilitation for the people with special psychophysical development needs (hereinafter referred to as the SPDN). Two components of an inclusive culture are presented: tolerance and inclusive competence. The mechanism of professional and social rehabilitation of people with intellectual disabilities is shown on the example of Brest region of the Republic of Belarus.

“When other people try to understand”: exploring the experiences of people with intellectual disabilities, who also have mental health problems

Advances in Mental Health and Intellectual Disabilities ◽

10.1108/amhid-07-2018-0032 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 14 (3) ◽

pp. 91-101

Author(s):

Sasha Martine Mattock ◽

Kieron Beard ◽

Amy Baddeley

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Mental Health Services ◽

Focus Group ◽

Health Services ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Health Problems ◽

Content Type ◽

The People ◽

Purpose Recent guidelines from the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence highlight that service users (SUs) with intellectual disabilities and co-occurring mental health problems rarely get the opportunity to share their experiences of mental health services. Over the past 20 years, policy documents have stated that these individuals (SUs) must be included in decisions about their care. Research suggests that often this is not the case. Therefore, this paper aims to create a space for SUs to share their experiences of mental health services, and what they found helpful. Design/methodology/approach A focus group was held with five SUs, two psychologists and two researchers. The audio recording of the discussion was transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis. Findings Three main themes were identified, namely, “relationships with others”, “inclusion and communication” and “challenges”. This focus group highlighted that although some SUs felt supported, they reported having little control in their lives and wanted to be listened to. Research limitations/implications Including a SU in the planning and facilitation of the focus group would have made this research more inclusive. Practical implications The implications of this research suggest that by listening to and involving SUs and developing more person-centred services, recovery rates may increase as the services provided would be more targeted. Originality/value Very little research has previously been conducted to explore SUs’ experiences. This paper highlights the value of being heard and the knowledge that is often lost if the authors do not take the time to listen to the people for whom a service is designed.

Holding the Future

10.1093/med/9780190491789.003.0008 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Lisa Freitag

Keyword(s):

Personal Narrative ◽

Institutional Care ◽

Group Homes ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Aging Parents ◽

Adults With Disabilities ◽

The Future ◽

Long wait lists for services and a dearth of people willing to work as caregivers ensure that many people, particularly with intellectual disabilities, continue to live with their aging parents. Informed by a personal narrative of a successful future for a person with intellectual disabilities, this chapter proposes three components that are essential for success. Adults with disabilities can benefit from establishing a life outside their parents’ home. They also need place to work and inclusion in the community. The communities created by L’Arche and the Brothers of Charity, where caregivers live and work together with people with intellectual disabilities, provide one model for care. The extent of current need makes it impossible to provide this for everyone, but some of the lessons learned from “living with” people with disabilities can perhaps be carried over into existing group homes or even institutional care settings.

Seksualność osób z niepełnosprawnością intelektualną w opinii nauczycieli i terapeutów

Men Disability Society ◽

10.5604/01.3001.0010.5201 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 2 (36) ◽

pp. 59-74

Author(s):

Marta Rawińska ◽

Artur Teroiłowski

Keyword(s):

Special Needs ◽

Specific Model ◽

Institutional Framework ◽

Special Schools ◽

Personal Standards ◽

Knowledge And Beliefs ◽

Older Teachers

The aim of the study was to investigate teachers’ and therapists’ attitudes towards the sexuality of people with intellectual disabilities. Teachers working with people with intellectual disabilities in special schools and residential special needs schools act within the institutional framework – according to a specific model of support based on official regulations as well as their personal standards and values. Their knowledge and beliefs determine to a large extent whether the environment of people with disabilities will have a supportive or repressive and restraining influence on the development and expression of sexuality in people with disabilities. The results of the study indicate that teachers and therapists show acceptance and understanding towards the sexuality of people with intellectual disabilities. They respect their rights in this area. The attitudes towards the sexuality of people with mild intellectual disabilities are more positive than towards the sexuality of people with severe intellectual disabilities. Moreover, older teachers and therapists are more likely to perceive people with intellectual disabilities in more asexual terms and treat them as people without sexual needs or rights.

Austria

International Psychiatry ◽

10.1192/s1749367600005385 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

pp. 6-7

Author(s):

Germain Weber

Keyword(s):

Regional Policy ◽

Community Based ◽

The Past ◽

Policy Agendas

In the past two decades, national as well as regional policy agendas for people with disabilities and especially people with intellectual disabilities have followed strategies of inclusion and rights, with the promotion of a community-based approach.