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Perceptions of foster care providers about shared living environments for adults with developmental disabilities
Abstract
This study presents the perceptions of Foster Care Providers in one western Massachusetts county who are integrating one or more adults with developmental disabilities into their family. This arrangement is called "Adult Foster Care," "Shared Living," or "Supportive Living." It is a new model in the health care field, and no studies have documented the perceptions of providers who have the responsibility of twenty-four hour care of individuals with cognitive disabilities and physical handicaps. Little is known about how providers make sense of their role or what pressures and tensions they are facing as they interact with their new family member. The major findings of the study centered around the difficult and evolving role that shared living providers play in today's health care system for individuals with developmental disabilities. Providers occupy a precarious middle ground between natural family units and more rigidly bureaucratic agencies and institutional systems. In a series of interviews, the following themes emerged as central concerns or issues for the shared living providers who participated in this study: Personal, family and work history; what is it like to be a provider; relationships between providers and individuals with developmental disabilities; organizational issues and tensions, and support systems for providers. Most providers entered the role expecting to work directly with their new family member outside of the regulations and restrictions imposed by group home mandates. They became frustrated and disillusioned by the increasing bureaucratic pressures and need for accountability. In their relationships with individuals with developmental disabilities, they sought to establish new patterns of interactions and to promote greater personal independence. At the same time, they struggled with the community's conception of developmental disabilities. Many reported that inadequate day programs and respite care supports blocked their efforts to build a new concept of health care delivery.
Subject Area
Social work|Adult education|Continuing education|Developmental psychology
Recommended Citation
McNeice, Darlene Cheryl, "Perceptions of foster care providers about shared living environments for adults with developmental disabilities" (1996). Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest. AAI9639000.
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI9639000