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Quality of Life

The idea of Quality of Life has become very important when discussing persons with impairments and their lives. The World Health Organisation defines Quality of Life as “individuals perception of their position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards and concerns.” It is a very broad and complex concept, which is affected by many factors, both internal and external.  In fact, in the large amounts of research that has been done about Quality of Life, and number of different domains have been highlighted. The most frequently mentioned domains of what affects Quality of Life include: 

  1. Psychological well-being and personal satisfaction;

  2. Social relationships experienced;

  3. Occupation;

  4. Physical and material well-being

  5. Self-determination, autonomy and choice;

  6. Personal competence, community adjustment, opportunity to live an independent life;

  7. Community inclusion;

  8. Social acceptance, social status and adjustment;

  9. Personal development and realization;

  10. Quality of residential environment;

  11. Leisure time;

  12. Normalization;

  13. Some demographic, social and individual aspects;

  14. Responsibility; and

  15. Support provided by the services

This is especially important with regards to persons with intellectual impairments as the way that they may perceive their lives and the conditions they live in may differ, and so they may have different perceptions of what satisfies them. For example, some studies have shown that sometimes, persons with a mild or moderate intellectual impairment may be satisfied and/or optimistic about their lives and their future, irrespective of the conditions they may be living in, even though these may be negative. This was seen even in cases of poverty, decayed housing, threats to their health and security, victimization, social isolation, failure to get a job.

 

So while it may be difficult to change or improve certain external factors, a number of studies have sought to examine certain internal characteristics, things that can in fact be changed by the individual. A relationship has been found among and between personal characteristics, self-determination, social abilities and the environmental living situations of people with intellectual disabilities, as well as linking these to quality of life. 

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