Evaluation of alternative residential facilities for the severely mentally handicapped in Wessex: Client progress

Abstract

The ‘progress’ made by severely mentally handicapped children and adults living in locally-based hospital units (experimental) was compared with that made by similarly handicapped people living in traditional forms of residential care (control). The results for the overall groups showed that people placed in the locally-based hospital units maintained their existing skills and that in six skill areas for children and seven for adults significantly more people gained than lost skills. For those in traditional care significantly more gained than lost skills in two skill areas for children and none for adults. The results for sub-groups of different disability showed that for those categorised as non-ambulant or severely behaviour disordered there were more skill areas for experimental than for control subjects in which significantly more gained than lost skills. The results of this study do not support the assertion that severely and profoundly mentally handicapped people can only be adequately cared for in large mental handicap hospitals.