Background: Research suggests that a better awareness of how staff who directly support people with intellectual disabilities experience their working relationships, will contribute to understanding staff wellbeing and the quality of care they offer. This study aimed to gain insights into the lived experiences of support workers in supported…

Background: For adults with intellectual disabilities living in a residential care facility, support staff, who are an integral part of their daily lives, can play an important role in supporting their sexuality. Even though multiple programmes exist, barriers remain when it comes to their application. This study aimed to identify factors…

Background: Effects of staff provided positive behaviour support (PBS) for individuals with intellectual disabilities are unclear. Method: Using a multicentre non-randomised cluster controlled design, 26 teams of residential group homes, including 245 staff members of 167 individuals with intellectual disabilities, were allocated to a PBS or…

Background: Taking a trauma informed care approach has demonstrated positive outcomes for services for people in the general population. Given the increased vulnerability to psychological trauma for adults with an intellectual disability, this study explores what residential staff know about trauma and trauma informed care. Methods: Thirty-two…

Background: Living arrangements is an essential component of the social environments for autistic adults. The need to understanding the status and experience of living arrangements has been highlighted. Aim: This study examined living arrangements and satisfaction with current arrangements of autistic adults reported by autistic adults or…

This paper outlines the outcomes from three rounds of action learning sets with a charity that supports vulnerable adults and those with learning disabilities in supported living and residential care. The action learning sets focused on safeguarding cases and how they had been managed by 11 leaders at various levels of the charity (the team). The…

Background: Ireland has a growing population of adult persons living with family carers, thereby increasing the demand for residential places. Simultaneously, government policy aimed to reprovision residents living in congregated settings but at a time when funding was curtailed due to the economic crisis. This study examines the movements of…

Background: Proxy quality of life (QoL) evaluation has been reported to be influenced by many factors. The present study was designed to investigate the impact that the presence of severe intellectual disability (ID) may have on proxy attribution of QoL in the instrumental assessment. Methods: The "other person" form (proxy…

Introduction: The Resident Choice Assessment Scale (RCAS) is used to assess choice availability for adults with intellectual disabilities (ID). The aim of the study was to explore the factor structure, construct validity, and internal consistency of the measure in community settings to further validate this tool. Method: 108 paid carers of adults…

Background: Disability staff are being increasingly required to support adults with Down syndrome who develop Alzheimer's disease. They have little understanding of the nature of care required, and may lack input from aged care and dementia services, which lack knowledge of intellectual disability. The aim of this study was to report on the…

Background: Attachment theory states the importance of secure relationships with significant figures for the development of resilience and well-being. The institutional care context represents a particular environment where relationships beyond the family should be attended for. Objective: The purpose of this study was to analyse the relationship…

Background: This study explored the personal experiences of family carers and residential care staff in supporting adults with intellectual disabilities through the process of bereavement. Method: A semi-structured interview was used to interview 11 carers on their experience of supporting adults with intellectual disabilities through the process…

Background: When support staff use questions to instruct, advise or guide adults with intellectual disabilities (ID), or to solicit information from them, the interaction does not always proceed smoothly, particularly when replies are ambiguous, absent or not obviously relevant. That can lead to interactional trouble and dissatisfaction, or worse.…

This paper describes the development of a Quality of Care and Support (QOCS) scale for use with adult persons with physical and intellectual disabilities. In the pilot phase of the study, 12 centers from around the world carried out focus groups with people with physical and disabilities, their carers, and with professionals in order to identify…

Background: Some individuals with intellectual disabilities (IDs) exhibit aggressive behaviour directed towards themselves, others or the environment. Displaying aggressive behaviour is associated with a number of negative consequences such as the exposure to restrictive interventions. This study aims to identify personal and environmental factors…