Should institutional care for disabled adults be phased out?
There is a major disconnect between groups like the Association for Community Living and the realities of disabled adults. This is seen no where more clearly then in autism. Now the Braemore centre mentioned here is not a good option as institutions of that size have poor track records in proper care and appear (rightly so in my opinion) as profit driven, low care facilities.
Autistic individuals in specific are high maintenance individuals who need constant one on one monitoring and care. In those cases where these individuals are placed in institutions rather then remaining at home with their families it is usually because they have violent episodes that the family no longer has the ability to control (due to age or the introduction of a new, younger child who may be at risk or the fact that as the child gets older and stronger they become stronger physically then the parents).
Most parents of autistic children would not willingly chose long term care for their children however sometimes there is no other option. It is highly likely that the child will outlive their parents and unless there are other children who have the ability and resources to care for the child then there often is no choice but some form of care facility.
Now I don’t want people to think I am blinded. There are autistic children who can survive with minimal care and some can control it to the point of being a fully functioning member of society. However taking James Durbin’s American Idol exit as a prime example, even high functioning autistics do have times when things can get out of their control. High functioning autistics generally would not require care however even they do need to have a fall back in case things get out of control, because one of the hallmarks of autism is their rigidity in routine and when things get out of routine or go badly sometimes there can be a temporary setback in their progress until they can get themselves under control and back on track.
Back to the major point in this situation though and that is that the need for a care facility for autistic individuals (and other disabilities who cannot function in society properly on their own). This care facility needs to be set up and regulated in such a way as to monitor and care for each individual according to their specific needs. Allowing freedom of movement and the ability to earn a living to those who have the ability and giving the one on one interactive care to those who require it, while still having a safe haven location that each can go to to recover their hold on their lives and continue in society to the best of their ability and as safely (both for themselves and for the public in general) as possible.
The lack of proper care facilities and proper training for first responders in dealing with autism and other mental illness has led to numerous deaths across the country and it is time that we protected societies most vulnerable by giving them the best chance of succeeding in society to the best of their ability
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