Question
Hi there!

what do you say about mentally retarded patients who are mixed in with mentally ill patients?  can you give me an idea of what kind of harm this mixing can cause?

what special care do mentally retarded need, within institutions, and if they were to be integrated into the community?  thanks!

Nada

Answer
Dear Nada,

This is a very good question, and I could probably write you a ten page response. However, I'll try to be brief in my answer.

"what do you say about mentally retarded patients who are mixed in with mentally ill patients?"

Remember that people with disabilities are people first, and so you should be less concerned about how people with different disabilities will affect each other, and instead think about how different "people" affect each other.

Just as there can be benefits to having people living in culturally diverse settings, living with people of all different abilities can sometime be equally enriching.

"can you give me an idea of what kind of harm this mixing can cause??"

No more harm than if you were forced to live with someone whom you didn't like. In the end, you should really focus on the relationships of the people. Having said that, you should consider that it can sometime be very difficult maintaining a relationship with someone who has a mental illness, and it might be a little more difficult for someone who has a diagnosis of mental retardation.

"what special care do mentally retarded need, within institutions, and if they were to be integrated into the community?"

That's a very BIG question, and one that I can't fully answer here (I've been working in the field for over 25 years and I'm still learning how best to support people).

Perhaps I could give you some suggested readings and leave you with some thoughts.

- people learn best by doing. Avoid teaching simulated exercises, as it can sometimes be difficult for folks to transfer skills across different settings. For instance, if your going to teach someone how to ride a bus, teach them by going out into the community they will live in (or are living in) and actually practice riding the bus.

- avoid the practice of "day wasting". In any setting, provide people with meaningfull activities; ones that make sense and give folks a general sense that there is a flow and purpose to their lives.

- try to build relationships, and get people connected to their communities. Although we strive to help people with disabilities to become more independent, none of as are truly "independent". We all depend on others for support in some way, and so our goal should really be to foster a sense of "interdependence" between the people we support and the people in their communities.

Some good reference material might be:

Path: Planning Possible Positive Futures by Jack Pearpoint, John O'Brien, Marsha Forest

Make A Difference
A Guidebook for Person-Centered Direct Support by John O'Brien & Beth Mount

You can also download a number of great publications from this site:

http://www.kendrickconsulting.org/

And, a good traing would be on Social Role Valorization (SRV)

I hope this is helpful, and please don't hesitate to contact me if you need more information.

Sincerely,

Jon Eriquezzo
All-Experts.com