People with learning disabilities living in community-based homes: The relationship of quality of life with age and disability

This paper describes the quality of life of 57 older adults with learning disabilities living in small staffed homes. Quality of life was measured using Living in a Supervised Home: A Questionnaire on Quality of life. Information regarding the level of disability of the group was collected using the Wessex Scale. The relationship between age, disability and quality of life was explored. In this population of older people, age is associated with greater self-help skills but greater degrees of mobility and continence problems. Age is positively associated with higher scores on the routine sub-scale, with more opportunity to make decisions and more integrative activities. Having more self-help skills is positively associated with more opportunity to make decisions and negatively associated with scores on the routine sub-scale. Having more problems in continence and mobility is positively associated with scores on the routine sub-scale. These findings are discussed with reference both to the nature of the participant group and to the measurement of quality of life.