Social Program for Adults Living in Group Homes

Authors

Kailee Oram, University of St. Augustine for Health SciencesFollow
Mary Jan Greer, University of St. Augustine for Health SciencesFollow

Files

Description

Adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDDs) living in group homes have lower quality of life outcomes, particularly for the domain of social inclusion, compared to adults with IDDs who live alone or with family. This capstone experience aimed to develop, implement, and evaluate a social program for this population to promote community engagement and interpersonal relationships. The 8-week social program was planned for participants living in group homes led by Trinity Services in suburban IL. A needs assessment included interviews with clients and staff about supports and barriers to social participation and ideas for community activities. The program was developed for 29 participants from 2 group homes and 2 intermediate care facilities. Participants received social skills training in which they learned either social media or basic sign language, depending on individual needs. Most sessions encouraged group activities such as board games, arts and crafts, or physical activities like playing with balls. Participants also enjoyed community outings, but several were canceled due to health precautions. Post-program interviews revealed that 27 clients were satisfied with their social participation after the program, compared to 14 who reported social satisfaction before the program. Promoting social participation in group homes is an emerging practice area for occupational therapy.

Publication Date

Spring 4-25-2025

Publisher

University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences

Keywords

Social participation, Community engagement, Quality of life, Social media, Sign language

Medical Subject Headings

Intellectual disabilities, Developmental disabilities, Group homes, Intermediate care facilities, Occupational therapy

Disciplines

Community Health | Occupational Therapy

Comments

Poster presented at the Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium, held online at the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences on April 25, 2025.

Recommended Citation

Oram, K., & Greer, M. (2025, April 25). Social Program for Adults Living in Group Homes. Poster presented at the Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium, University of St Augustine for Health Sciences. Retrieved from https://soar.usa.edu/otdcapstonesspring2025/18

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.