Pierce, Maria, Kilcullen, Sophia and Duffy, Mel (2018) The situation of younger people with disabilities living in nursing homes in Ireland - phase 1 (Plain English Summary). Policy Report. UNSPECIFIED.
Abstract
This research is very timely given Ireland’s recent ratification of the UN
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the imminent full
commencement of the Assisted Decision Making (Capacity) Act, 2015
together with proposed legislation dealing with Deprivation of Liberty.
Although the sample in the study is small, it offers valuable insights into
the referral of, and pathways into nursing homes for younger people
with disabilities.
Whilst law and policy are centred on the enabling of people with
disabilities to live the lives of their choosing in the community, the report
notes that the supports to enable them to do so ‘are underdeveloped,
unplanned and often not sufficient to meet their needs‘. Instead of
taking a human rights based, social model approach, which would look
to the person’s will and preference, there is an overemphasis on the
medical model in the assessment form. There is little focus on a person’s
abilities, capabilities or on options for care in the community. Indeed a
person’s preference for care seems to have been poorly recorded or not
recorded at all.
The research makes it clear that younger people with disabilities do
not often have a meaningful say in decisions that profoundly affect and
impact their lives, rather their referral to nursing homes is defined by
their level of functioning. The vast majority of these people, who enter
nursing homes remain there without assistance to achieve an outcome
of living independently and without really being in control of their own
lives.
The report concludes with some very good and practical
recommendations for both government and practice. These include
adopting a personalised approach to the assessment and care of
younger people with disabilities, and a commitment to exhaust
all possibilities with the person centrally involved, assisted where
necessary, before nursing home care is considered. We hope that
government and the Department of Health will take the time to review
the findings and recommendations of the report, and to take the
necessary action to address the inappropriate placement of younger
people with disabilities in nursing homes.
Metadata
Item Type: | Monograph (Policy Report) |
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Refereed: | Yes |
Uncontrolled Keywords: | Nursing Homes; Disabilities; Young People; Rights |
Subjects: | Medical Sciences > Nursing |
DCU Faculties and Centres: | DCU Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Science and Health > School of Nursing and Human Sciences |
Copyright Information: | © 2018 The Authors |
Use License: | This item is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License. View License |
ID Code: | 22695 |
Deposited On: | 27 Sep 2018 08:35 by Fran Callaghan . Last Modified 21 Apr 2022 16:32 |
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