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Accessible Summary: In the past 30 years, many people with (intellectual) learning disabilities have been moved out of large "institutions" and into their own home in their local communityThese people are now often between 30 and 50 years oldWe asked people with learning disabilities aged between 30 and 50 and who are living in their local community what things, including work, that they enjoyed doingWe asked people with learning disabilities aged between 30 and 50 and who are living in their local community whether they felt that they could make decisions about their lifeWe found out the things that make their life good, and also what might stop people enjoying their lifeWe learnt that people with learning disabilities should receive more support to assist them before they retireWe learnt that people with learning disabilities still need more support and choice around who they live with Background: This study investigated perceived quality of life (QoL) of community‐dwelling middle‐aged adults (30–50 years) with an intellectual disability and/or developmental disability living in rural or urban areas in New South Wales and Queensland, Australia. The specific aim of the current paper was to provide a descriptive evidence base of QoL and its specific domains by various key demographic characteristics of middle‐aged individuals. This cohort is likely to have either experienced or reached adulthood during and after large‐scale deinstitutionalisation in Australia. Methods and procedures: A cross‐sectional design was utilised, based on the QoL‐Q survey, testing domains of satisfaction; Competence/Productivity; Empowerment/Independence; and social belonging/community integration. The survey included demographic questions and was distributed to participants through disability support agencies across two states. The final sample included 291 respondents. Results: The overall QoL‐Q scores ranged from 3.0 to 29.5 (Mean = 20.4, SD, 4.1), with considerable variation in mean scores both across and within domains. The two demographic areas that showed greatest predictive value for QoL were work status and accommodation issues. The loss of agency and control in choice of co‐residents influenced perceived QoL for empowerment and independence domain of QoL‐Q. Conclusions: The findings highlight QoL issues associated with policy decisions and support programmes for middle‐aged adults. The two key recommendations arising from the project are that future planning for post‐retirement or reduced working hours needs to commence at a much younger age than currently expected, and more attention needs to focus on facilitating individual decision‐making and choice within shared accommodation options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Palliative care for dementia includes psychosocial interventions as first-line treatment for challenging behaviour. However, the national dementia plan in Japan contradicts recommendations for palliative care for dementia. This study aimed to examine the association between care quality for patients with dementia and professional caregivers' perspectives regarding palliative care for dementia in Japanese community care settings.Methods: In total, 2116 professional caregivers from 329 agencies (217 in-home long-term care support providers; 29 small-scale, multiple home-care providers; and 83 group homes) in Tokyo prefecture, Japan, completed cross-sectional, paper-based questionnaires about 3603 people diagnosed with dementia, in May 2016. Quality of care measures included physical restraint and antipsychotic medication use and quality of life. Patients' quality of life was assessed via the Japanese version of the Alzheimer's Disease Health-related Quality of Life scale. The Japanese version of the Questionnaire on Palliative Care for Advanced Dementia was used to assess professional caregivers' knowledge and attitudes regarding palliative care for dementia.Results: Professional caregivers' knowledge and attitudes regarding palliative care for dementia were positively associated with quality of life in patients with dementia. Physical restraint and antipsychotic medication were used regardless of professional caregivers' knowledge and attitudes.Conclusions: Professional caregivers' perspectives regarding palliative care for dementia could have exerted a positive effect on quality of life in patients with dementia. A national strategy for advocacy and the protection of adults is required to integrate several laws and guidelines and prevent the use of antipsychotics as a form of chemical restraint. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this systematic review was to describe the association between adolescent sense of coherence ( SOC) and health and identify the future direction for research in this area. Systematic searches were conducted (2007-2014) in the PubMed, CINAHL, Psyc INFO and Cochrane electronic databases and carried out manual searches in three scientific journals. A total of 827 original papers were found and 23 were selected. Based on the results, adolescents' sense of coherence ( SOC) was related to health in terms of the adolescents' quality of life, health behaviour, mental health and family relationships by using 31 different health-related instruments. In conclusion, the use of the SOC approach for adolescents can provide a useful view of their health during this transition phase to adulthood. Due to the large variation in the additional instruments used, combining and comparing the results proved challenging. More comparative and longitudinal research is needed to increase understanding of adolescents' health in relation to SOC and develop services that support both elements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]