Written from the perspective of a blind rehabilitation teacher, the paper focuses on teaching daily living skills to visually impaired persons. Of primary importance is early instruction in daily living skills integrated into the child's total life experience. The parent's role as a direct and consistent influence on the way children perceive the…

This study examined the characteristics of elderly persons receiving help from family members as reported in published studies on family caregiving. The data were drawn from 10 volumes of the "Journal of Gerontology" and "The Gerontologist" (1978-1988). Thirty-one family caregiving studies were identified. Although few of the elderly require…

Typically, neuropsychological assessment has been used to predict various diagnostic parameters. In the elderly, referrals are often made to psychologists for the purpose of facilitating diagnosis of psychiatric or organic conditions, such as depression or Alzheimer's disease. However, psychologists are routinely requested to make recommendations…

Elderly housing has become a special concept in which level of activity, social support, and social integration may be more important than square footage or closet space. An increased concern among housing specialists has been the ability of traditional senior housing to meet the needs of frail tenants who have "aged in place." As…

The father of a retarded adult describes the development of a course designed to teach independent living skills to mentally retarded adults living in a group home in Israel. The course included instruction on home management, food preparation, and interpersonal skills. How initial neighborhood opposition diminished is recounted. Difficulties…

Effects of the physical and social environment on the feeding of severely and multiply handicapped students are discussed. The role of such physical environmental factors as sound, visual stimuli, light, movement, touch, clothing and furniture is considered. Among the social influences operating are the student's physical abilities and…

The structure of the revised Client Needs Assessment Instrument (CNAI) is examined. In 1978-79, the Texas Department of Human Resources (DHR) developed the CNAI to provide an index of applicants' and clients' capacity for self-care by measuring the respondents' levels of functioning in: (1) physical health; (2) daily living activities; (3) mental…

The study developed a definition of "independent living" for handicapped individuals and evaluated the definition's seven domains using data provided by 3,758 handicapped members of the 1980 sophomore cohort of the High School and Beyond National Longitudinal Survey (N=14,553). The seven domains are: (1) self-care and advocacy skills;…

A 40-item behavior analysis task, the Menstrual Care Scale, was developed and tested with 75 randomly selected institutionalized severely retarded women (13-59 years old). The need for developing personal care skills in menstruation habits had been identified as a priority area for sexuality instruction by staff and confirmed by analysis of…

Several patient status variables have been associated with caregiver burden. A study was conducted to examine relationships between caregiver burden; patient variables of cognitive status, depression, and physical status; and caregiver perceptions of disruptive behavior and discrepancies between patient abilities and behaviors. Subjects were…

The purpose of the Children's Project in Oregon was to provide services to five children (ages 5 to 12) with developmental disabilities whose families were experiencing stress. Each of the children had at least three disabilities and was placed outside the family home in a foster care home for various reasons. The project staff included each…

Because Area Agencies on Aging are increasingly required to perform case management functions for older adults, it is important to understand the patterns of need among persons of different racial or ethnic backgrounds as well as the general knowledgeability of persons about what sources are available to them. A conceptual framework was designed…

The study sought to determine if there are differences between shifts of workers in Intermediate Care Facilities in their ratings of the daily living skills of mentally retarded residents, and whether these differences reflect actual differences in performance by the residents. Staff were interviewed concerning the level of prompt required to…

This study compared the functional disability levels of participants in adult day centers with patients in intermediate care facilities (ICFs). A three-page questionnaire measuring demographics, social resources, physical health, mental health, and activities of daily living as assessed by the Activities of Daily Living scale and the Instrumental…

A program, Team Approach to Assessment and Programming (TAPP), to provide services to deaf blind and otherwise severely handicapped students in rural areas, is described. The project was designed to increase the number of severely handicapped students being served in integrated, age-appropriate local settings by expanding the capacity of local…