Community Care and the Mentally Handicapped

Based on mothers' experiences and accounts, Community Care and the Mentally Handicapped (originally published in 1984) explores the daily challenges of caring for a severely disabled child at home. Having recognised the limitations of institutional care, the authors examine the needs and experiences of families from the initial discovery of intellectual disability in their child through practical care within the family, informal community support, and the role of formal services. By looking at the policies and services of the time and their shortcomings, the authors conclude that there was a great need for developing support networks for disabled children and their mothers. To improve the quality of care, greater assistance from both informal self-help groups and formal agencies was essential. This book, based on the shared problems, experiences, and resources of mothers from the North Humberside area, documents the realities of daily family care of intellectually disabled children. For those concerned with meeting the needs of these children, the accounts of their mothers provide invaluable perspectives.

Sam Ayer was a dedicated learning disability nurse who transformed care for vulnerable children and adults. Beginning as a staff nurse at South Ockendon hospital in 1973, he advanced to lead the Swansea Children's Unit while earning his BA in economics. His influential research contributed significantly to shifting services from institutional to community-based care. In 1982, he became one of the first learning disability nurses to earn a PhD, subsequently using his expertise to revolutionize nurse education and development programs. Andy Alaszewski is Emeritus Professor of Health Studies at the University of Kent, UK. Over his career, Professor Alaszewski developed research interests into different aspects of the relationship between health and society; the management of risk, personal experiences of illnesses and health and the ways in which health policy is formed and implemented.

Preface 1. Families of mentally handicapped people and official policy 2. The development of community care 3. The North Humberside study 4. Measuring disability 5. The discovery of mental handicap 6. Care in the family 7. Care by the community 8. Care in the community: the role of welfare agencies 9. Two mothers Conclusion - what direction community care?