Comparison of community residential supports on measures of information & planning; access to & delivery of supports; choice & control; community connections; satisfaction; and, overall perception of outcomes

Abstract

Background: This paper reports on some of the findings of a large-scale survey (n = 852) of family members and support staff of adults with intellectual disabilities receiving community living services in British Columbia, Canada, concentrating on comparison of outcomes across four types of community residential settings: group homes, family model homes, independent home or apartment, and family home.

Method: Comparisons were conducted on six domains: information and planning; access to and delivery of supports; choice and control; community connections; satisfaction; and, overall perception of outcomes. Where applicable, further multivariate analyses were undertaken to determine the effect of the degree of help required by the residents and the respondent type.

Results: Findings indicate that on all measures other than choice and control, group homes and family model homes showed better outcomes than either independent settings or family homes.

Conclusion: The findings may indicate that the move to more independent living settings is not being accompanied by appropriate supports.