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Background: Research has shown that there is variability in quality of life (QOL) outcomes for people with intellectual disabilities who live in group homes. The aim was to examine dimensions of group home culture as predictors of QOL outcomes., Method: The Group Home Culture Scale (GHCS) was used to measure staff perceptions of culture in 23 group homes. QOL data were available from 98 people with intellectual disabilities. Multilevel modelling was used to examine the associations between the GHCS subscales and four QOL-dependent variables., Results: Of the GHCS subscales, Effective Team Leadership and Alignment of Staff with Organizational Values significantly predicted residents' engagement in activities. Supporting Well-Being significantly predicted residents' community involvement. None of the GHCS subscales significantly predicted domestic participation and choice making., Conclusions: The findings suggest that strategies to improve Effective Team Leadership and Supporting Well-Being dimensions of culture may contribute to enhancing certain QOL outcomes., (© 2020 The Authors. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: The quality of life (QOL) of people with intellectual disability living in supported accommodation services is variable, influenced by many possible factors. Various frameworks have attempted to identify these factors without assigning value, direction of influence or relative impact on outcomes., Methods: A realist review of the literature aimed to expose different propositions about variables influencing QOL outcomes and review the strength of supporting evidence for these, to identify their relative influence. Evidence was reviewed for and against each of five clusters., Results: Evidence was strongest for the presence of staff practices (use of Active Support), front-line management practice (use of practice leadership), culture (enabling and motivating), human resources policies and practice (that support front-line leaders and recruitment of staff with the right values), adequate resources, and small, dispersed and homelike settings., Conclusions: The evidence informs policy and practice but in some clusters remains limited, warranting further research which measures outcomes on all QOL domains., (© 2016 The Authors Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Abstract Despite change toward more individualized support, group homes are likely to remain for people with severe intellectual disability. As such, the search continues for ways to determine and maintain the quality of these settings. This article draws on in-depth qualitative analysis of participant observations conducted over 9-12 months in seven group homes for 21 people with a severe and profound level of intellectual disability. It explores the conceptualization of good outcomes and support for this group in terms of their quality of life and staff practices. The qualitative indicators of good outcomes for this group using quality of life domains can be used by auditors, community visitors, funders, advocates, or family members to guide observation and judgements about group homes.

An increasing number of Australia's ageing population are aging with long-term physical impairments. This study explored the life experiences of this group using a qualitative approach. In-depth interviews were conducted with 10 disabled Victorians, aged between 51 and 84 years, and an inductive thematic analysis undertaken. A relationship was found between the adaptive strategies that participants developed as they moved through life phases and the impairment stages. The implications of the emergence of a cyclical process of adaptation across the life course. and particularly in respect of aging, delivery of aged-care services and social workers in this sector are discussed.

Objective(s): The study aimed to investigate the lived experiences of older people with lifelong intellectual disability and to explore the meaning of active ageing for this group., Methods: Data were collected using semistructured interviews with 16 service users (people with lifelong intellectual disability aged 50+ years); 16 service providers and 16 key informal network members from regional/rural and urban areas in Queensland and Victoria., Results: Themes identified: being empowered, being actively involved, having a sense of security, maintaining skills and learning, having congenial living arrangements, having optimal health and fitness, being safe and feeling safe and having satisfying relationships and support., Conclusions: Service users wanted to 'keep on keeping-on' in areas of life that gave them pleasure rather than discontinuing them because of age. They wanted more control over issues affecting their lives and to be given meaningful roles. Mental stimulation, companionship, reliable support and safety were valued by this group.

Background: Planning for future care after the death of parental caregivers and adapting disability support systems to achieve the best possible quality of life for people with intellectual disability as they age have been important issues for more than two decades. This study examined perceptions held by family members, group home staff and organisational managers about the future of older residents and the decisions made that a move to residential aged care was necessary. Methods: Grounded Dimensional Analysis was used to guide data collection and analysis by an interdisciplinary research team. Three sets of interviews over a period of 18 months were conducted with a family member, house supervisor and the programme manager for each of seventeen older group home residents in Victoria. For the eight people for whom it was decided a move was necessary and the six who eventually moved focussed questions were asked about the decision-making process. Results: While plans for lifelong accommodation in a group home proved unfounded, key person succession plans were effective. However, decisions to move to a residential aged care facility where necessary were made in haste and seen as a fait accompli by involved family members. Conclusions: Although family members take seriously their mandate to oversee well-being of their older relative, they have little knowledge about their rights or avenues to safeguard untimely or inappropriate decisions being made by professionals.

Background Improving staff performance is an issue in services for people with intellectual disability. Practice leadership, where the front line leader of a staff team focuses on service user outcomes in everything they do and provides coaching, modeling, supervision and organisation to the team, has been identified as important in improving staff performance. To date this finding is based only on self-report measures. Methods This paper describes and tests an observational measure of practice leadership based on an interview with the front-line manager, a review of paperwork and observations in 58 disability services in Australia. Results The measure showed good internal consistency and acceptable inter-rater reliability. Practice leadership was associated with staff practice and outcomes for service users. The observed measure of practice leadership appears to be a useful tool for assessing whether leadership within a service promotes enabling and empowering support by staff. It was found to discriminate higher and lower performing services in terms of active support. Conclusions The measure had good reliability and validity although some further testing is required to give a complete picture of the possible uses and Conclusions The measure had good reliability and validity although some further testing is required to give a complete picture of the possible uses and reliability of the measure. The measure is potentially useful in contexts of both research and service development. The confirmation of previous findings from self-report measures that practice leadership is related to the quality of staff practice and outcomes for service users has implications for policy and practice in terms of the training of managers and structures for organisational management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]