Living Options

Autism Life Care Trust, a member organisation of the IAA, has the opportunity of becoming involved with 24 units of accommodation under the new social housing scheme, Section 5 of the Housing Act. This initiative can provide an opportunity to review present models of service provision and to look to the future in innovative and exciting ways.

Within Ireland, the continuum of residential provision for those on the Autism Spectrum has varied from institutional, secure, high support, group homes (both campus and community), semi-independent and independent living. Whilst some options along this continuum encompass aspects of a Support Model, the more traditional Model of Care underpins all options.

The most significant change within residential provision has been the move away from institutionalisation and the drive for normalisation. People moved out of institutions into smaller communities, usually group home settings.

Unsurprisingly, studies examining the outcomes of de-institutionalisation have reported many improvements. Increased patterns of activity, increased use of community facilities, greater family contact, improved adaptive behaviour etc. (Emerson & Hatton, 1996).

However, concerns have been expressed that these community living settings have become 'mini-institutions' (Mesibov, 1990). These concerns can be further exacerbated by the model presently in place in these settings which in the main, focuses on doing for people rather than supporting people to do for themselves and which appears to limit the extent of meaningful choice available.

Developing Supported Living, underpinned by a Model of Support, was aimed at overcoming some of these issues (Felce, 1999).

Both our neighbours in the United States and United Kingdom have embraced a Model of Support to develop Supported Living Services, a very different and radical approach to Residential Services.

A Model of Support has at it's core, recognition of the individual, their right to choice and their right to be supported to live the choices that they make in safety and good health. The support should respect the person's individuality.

When applied to residential services it has at it's core the individual's right to be supported to live in the accomodation of their choice. It provides the foundation upon which to develop Supported Living Services.

Within Autism Life Care Trust embracing such a model would provide an opportunity to enhance residential provision. It would be an advance that could encompass the new planning and quality tools such as I.E.P.

Supported Living Services (SLS) provides support to people who want to live in their own homes. Services include facilitation, instruction, support and assistance to live in their home of choice and can be requested by the person themselves or a family/advocate where the person themselves cannot express their own desire.

Within the areas of support , SLS can identify those activities tthat he individual has the potential to become independent in and provide the necessary specific skills training.

In Supported Living, staff configurations can take many forms, such as domiciliary support on an 'as-needed' basis, living with a paid or unpaid room-mate, or living alone with 24 hour on-call staff available. Generally, the paid support person assists with daily tasks such as bathing, dressing, cooking, cleaning and shopping.

Supported Living Services are able to provide a high level of ongoing personal care and safety assistace so that individuals regarded at the level of disability can live in and control their own homes. In addition to personal care and safety, Supported Living Services encourage independence and tasks for which the individual has the skill and/or ability.

Comprehensive Individualised Support Plans would require to be developed that would enable people to live as independently as possible in their own homes. This service would have at it's core a recognition of the person as the integral decision-maker in their own lives.


Links:
Paradigm
www.paradigm-uk.org