"I feel like I just don't quite fit in" : working-age adults with a physical disability share their experiences in residential care

• Main Author: Chapple, Sarah K.
• Language: English
• Published: University of British Columbia 2009
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/13857

This study explores the perceptions of working-age adults with a physical disability who often face unique challenges while living in a residential care facility designed for a geriatric population. It is apparent that by addressing psychosocial needs and providing appropriate health care services to adults with a physical disability, strengths and challenges of these residents can be highlighted and recommendations made to improve upon experiences within residential care. In this study, I sought to answer the question: how do working-age adults with a physical disability experience living in a residential care home designed for a geriatric population? Utilizing a qualitative narrative method, eight adults between the ages of 22 and 59 participated in a face-to-face audio taped interview, during which they shared stories of their personal experiences living in a residential care home designed for seniors. The concerns and experiences of the participants in this study clustered into the following key themes: (1) admission stories, (2) coping and adjustment, (3) relationships, (4) institutional culture and environment, and (5) hope. Subthemes included experiences of grief and loss, loss of autonomy and choice, changes in family relationships, relationships with staff and older residents, social support and advocacy and perceptions of “fitting in.”