Independent community participation for people with intellectual disability transitioning from open employment into retirement

INTERVENTION: The pilot program intervention is an individually tailored program delivered by Jobsupport’s (collaborating organisation) Vocational Training Officers and based on interests and needs of each participant. The program called Keeping Active has 3 elements: A. Providing information in appropriate formats to older workers and their advocates on the range of mainstream recreation options/ retirement activities available (Getting informed). B. Creating social opportunities for people to connect with people who they see as their peers (Keeping Connected). C. Provide support to participate in an ongoing mainstream recreation or volunteering opportunity matched to the individual’s interests and capacity, utilising systematic training and support strategies of the DES to maximise independence and inclusion (Keeping Busy). Skills training based on individual need including training on public transport and the use of technology to connect with the community is inherent in each of the 3 elements. The ‘Getting Informed’ and ‘Keeping Connected’ elements of the program will be delivered in a combination of individual and small group activities. The ‘Keeping Busy’ component will be delivered individually. The program has a 13‐week initial intervention phase with weekly program sessions of individually determined duration (depending on need) and then an ongoing support phase that continues until the participant chooses to leave the program or the program funding ends (pilot program currently funded until June 2017). Vocational Training Officers will deliver both the intervention phase and the ongoing support phase. The participant’s advocate/support person is not required to attend intervention program sessions. Participation in the program will be monitored through participants’ weekly logs and program staff timesheets. CONDITION: Intellectual Disability PRIMARY OUTCOME: Knowledge of recreation options measured through asking participants to list the activities organisations they know of that adults can go to when not at work. Social contacts including face‐to‐face, over the phone or through the use of technology over the period of a week as recorded on activity calendars. Social contacts will exclude family, people the person lives with and contact related to service delivery i.e. paid support workers. Time spent in mainstream community activities (other than work) without being accompanied by family member or paid staff member as recorded on activity calendars. . Mainstream community activities include activities (e.g., social groups, sporting activities, volunteering) undertaken away from home by members of the general community. Activities primarily intended primarily or solely for groups of people with disability are excluded from this definition of mainstream community activities. SECONDARY OUTCOME: Costs of delivering program per participant compared to available government funding for comparable programs. ; Staff wages costs are based on time allocated to specific program activity and to participant specific activity. Hours multiplied by the staff member’s wage can be used in analysing individual and average program costs. Wages costs that are not client specific (e.g. administration activities, staff training, staff meeting and non‐wage costs such as those relating to maintaining the office premises) are apportioned across programs. Participants’ experience of participating in the program and expectations of retirement explored through qualitative analysis of file records. ; The file to be analysed is the participant’s the Keeping Active program file. Scores on the Modified Worker Loneliness Questionnaire (MWLQ) Eligibility for the program has been established by the Jobsupport Disability Employment Service (DES) operating the program and include INCLUSION CRITERIA: The Keeping Active program is being delivered by Jobsupport’s (collaborating organisation) Vocational Training Officers. All people enrolled in the Keeping Active program who are willing to give written informed consent are eligible to participate in the study. * Intellectual Disability (IQ<70) * Aged 40 years or over * Currently employed with support of the DES or have retired from a job supported by the DES service * Assessed through the DES‐ESS system as requiring ongoing support (high, moderate or flexible support) to maintain employment. * Have a home advocate/support person such as a family member or accommodation support worker willing and able to assist in planning the participant’s individual program and in providing practical support at home where needed for the person with ID to participa