engleski

The quality of life of people with learning disabilities living in family and in institutional environments in Croatia

The purpose of this study was to compare some objective aspects of quality of life of adults with moderate and severe mental retardation living in two different environments. 100 persons took part in the study, 50 persons live with their families, while the remaining 50 reside in institutional settings. A quality of life assesment scale and checklist of life conditions were used to determine: the participation of individuals in day to day domestic activities, self-care activities, leisure and work activities in the community, social contacts with relatives, friends and neighbours and the posibility of privacy in their living environment. An quantitative analysis of the differences in the results of two groups of participants, as well as an qualitative analysis of the living conditions was performed. The results show that persons living with their families in general have a higher quality of living. However, the study also shows that the persons living with families also acchieve only a limited level of social interaction and participation in community. In the conclusion we suggest guidelines for developing community based support services as the basic pre-condition for improoving the quality of life in accordance with world standards and cultural specifications.

quality of life; learning disability; mental retardation; family; institutionalisation

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