The Repository @ St. Cloud State

Open Access Knowledge and Scholarship

Date of Award

2-1992

Culminating Project Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Gerontology: M.S.

Department

Program in Gerontology

College

School of Health and Human Services

First Advisor

Eleanore Stokes

Second Advisor

Beverly Stadum

Third Advisor

Michelle Stone

Keywords and Subject Headings

Developmental disabilities, aging, community, psychology, senior centers, discrimination, ethnography

Abstract

Literature regarding the provision of service to elderly persons with developmental disabilities is reviewed with an emphasis on policy issues that affect day programs. A typology of service options is presented in order to consider the factors involved in each alternative. The ecological theory of aging is outlined as the organizing framework for considering the fit between person and environment.

A case study compares two programs for seniors with developmental disabilities coordinated by a Day Activity Center (DAC) in central Minnesota. Eight seniors remain in-house for services while fifteen attend a local senior center on a daily basis. Results from ten weeks of participant observation which alternated between the two settings are presented. Information obtained from informal interviews conducted with staff members from both settings supplements the researcher's observations.

Each environment is presented as an ethnography of the "typical day." Arrivals, orientation, and the selection of activities are compared and assessed within the framework of the ecological theory of aging. An alternative setting for one of the groups then provides an interesting means for comparison. The inhouse group visits a local senior nutrition site once per week and participates in bingo prior to the meal. These experiences are compared to the normal "bingo and meals" routines for both groups.

The ecological theory of aging is then further explored in a review of the DAC staff roles in each environment and the issues involved in determining which clients participate in each setting. Transitions between the two settings, retirement as an issue, and declines and increases in competency are illustrated in a presentation of six client profiles. Proactivity is introduced as an emerging issue in ecological theory.

The discussion emphasizes the need for further research in light of the complexity involved in providing supportive day program environments to elderly people with developmental disabilities. Issues in program development across the two domains, "choice" as a new reality for people with developmental disabilities, integration into generic settings, and the changing nature of service are presented. A vision of the "ideal setting" as imagined by staff concludes with the contention that the provision of services for elderly people with developmental disabilities must be taken in the context of the person/environment fit.

Download

Share

COinS