S. Spreat et al., IMPROVE QUALITY IN NURSING-HOMES OR INSTITUTE COMMUNITY PLACEMENT - IMPLEMENTATION OF OBRA FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH MENTAL-RETARDATION, Research in developmental disabilities, 19(6), 1998, pp. 507-518
A matched sample longitudinal design was used to compare the outcomes
for individuals with mental retardation who were either retained in nu
rsing homes or transferred to community based living arrangements. Per
sons who moved from nursing homes to community residences experienced
increased performance in adaptive behavior skills, whereas persons who
remained in nursing homes regressed. Individual habilitation plans be
came nearly universal in both environments, but those plans prepared i
n the community were more focused on vocational type goals. Hours of s
ervice also increased in both environments, with the greatest increase
s being observed in habilitation training. Nursing services dropped to
near-zero levels in community-based programs. (C) 1998 Elsevier Scien
ce Ltd.