Perceived need and barriers to social care use for mothers with intellectually disabled children

Qualitative study focusing on attitude to using short stay service

Abstract

This paper examined the difficulties faced by the families of intellectually disabled persons in accepting social care, taking the thoughts of the mothers on short-term residential care as a guide. My survey found that most mothers understood the step-by-step process of using the short-term care placement. However, some mothers, despite understanding the transition to social care, did not use it because of their conflicting feelings about it. The phrase “sense of inferiority” was also extracted from mothers’ narratives. Mothers “hesitation to assert their rights” is not solely the result of individual circumstance or weak community support systems; a lack of social acceptance of disabilities acts as a barrier for the families of persons with intellectual disabilities to accept social care.