Environmental design, staffing and programming needs of younger adults in long-term care facilities : residents' and staff's perceptions

Concern over provision of long-term care for an increasing seniors' population has tended to obscure the fact that younger persons may also require this type of care. How do individuals between the ages of 20-64, who are the focus of this report, feel about living in close proximity to mostly very old (i.e. age 75 or over) persons? In an attempt to answer this and other questions concerning the characteristics and care needs of the younger adult long-term care facility population, an extensive search of the literature was undertaken. As indicated in the report (Gutman, 1989) summarizing findings from this search, the bulk of what little data are available concerning this client group derive from units specializing in their care (i.e. so-called Younger Disabled Units). To ascertain the extent to which findings from these units are generalizable to British Columbia, and to obtain answers to questions concerning environmental design, staffing and programming needs that have not heretofore been addressed in the literature, a study was conducted, in Spring 1989, in two hospitals in BC.TABLE OF CONTENTS: 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background and Rationale for the Study 1.2 Characteristics of Two Units Participating in the Study 2.METHOD 3.FINDINGS 4. DISCUSSION Appendix I Classification criteria for levels of long term care in British Columbia. Appendix II Criteria for admission to Hospital A's Sustained Rehabilitation Head Injury Program