A Group Intervention to Assist Older Parents of Adults with Mental Retardation in Permanency Planning
Year: 1997
Type: other
Abstract: ProblemThe purpose of this study was to evaluate a group intervention designed to increase the permanency planning of older parents of adults who were mentally retarded.Previous studies found that older parents avoid planning and less than half make financial/legal and residential plans.The components of permanency planning encompass major life domains, as noted by Smith & Tobin (1989), and the process is a complex and dynamic one which needs to allow for the changing needs and circumstances of both the family and the adult with mental retardation (Kaufman, Adams & Campbell, 1991)."Perpetual parenthood" (Jennings, 1987) is one description of the role of the older parent of an adult with developmental disabilities and the "WIAG" or "When I am gone" syndrome (Lefty, 1987) aptly describes the older parent who verbalizes their pain and fear about their son or daughter's uncertain future.Numerous studies have documented both the stress that parents experience in caring for and planning for adults with mental retardation and the low rate of planning by parents, but currently is no research on the effectiveness of interventions.Practice guidelines and training curricula to prepare social workers, case managers and others to effectively intervene and support parents in the planning process are also lacking.In short, the literature provides ample documentation of the need for effective interventions to help parents with the planning process, to increase their rate of planning and to reduce the traumatic consequences of not planning for themselves, their offspring and indeed, for the systems mandated to provide services to this population.
Author: Botsford, Anne L.
Language: English
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2291485025