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

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