The experiences of service users with a learning disability living in adult placements

Lewis, Karin 2015. The experiences of service users with a learning disability living in adult placements. ClinPsy Thesis, Cardiff University. Item availability restricted.

	PDF - Supplemental Material Restricted to Repository staff only Download (621kB)
Preview	PDF - Accepted Post-Print Version Download (2MB) | Preview

Abstract

Adult Placement offers people with a learning disability a highly flexible form of accommodation and person-centred support provided by individuals and families in the local community and enables an individual to share in the life of the Adult Placement carer. A limited amount of research has focused on the characteristics of carers, and the reasons why people become providers of such placements. There has been little focus in research on service users’ experiences of Adult Placements. The aim of the present study was to explore the experiences of adults with learning disabilities living in long-term Adult Placements, drawing upon the perspectives of service users and carers. Twelve participants (six service users and six carers) were recruited from two Adult Placement Schemes and took part in a semi-structured interview. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis produced four superordinate themes from the participants’ experiences: The Function of Adult Placements - as a different model of care offering an opportunity for an ‘ordinary’ life for service users; Characteristics of the Service User/ Carer Relationship – one that is differentiated from others and provides a ‘secure base’ and ‘safe haven’ for service users; “Family” – integration into the family, experiences of family dynamics, family changes and coping; and Personal and Professional Issues for Carers – their relationships with the teams, important factors for the carer role, rewards and benefits, and challenges and dilemmas. The results highlight the meaning associated with Adult Placement for service users and relationships developed with carers were found to closely resemble attachments as they are conceptualised in adulthood. This study provides evidence from the service user perspective to support the view that Adult Placement carers fulfil the role of attachment figures for adults with learning disabilities. Findings are considered in relation to existing literature. Clinical and service implications are discussed and recommendations for future research are made.

Item Type:	Thesis (DClinPsy)
Date Type:	Completion
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	Psychology
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	30 March 2016
Last Modified:	26 Jan 2024 15:52
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/76033

Actions (repository staff only)

Edit Item