Older parents of people who have a learning disability : perceptions of future accomodation needs

The aim of this qualitative study was to provide an insight into the perceptions of older parents of learning disabled people on the future accommodation needs of their adult children. Semi-structured interviews were used to seek parental awareness of residential options available, concerns in relation to future accommodation and the preferred accommodation options for their offspring. Four couples who shared the family home with an adult who has a learning disability took part in the study and data was analysed using a step by step form of content analysis as described by Burnard (1991). Emergent themes from transcripts were then organised into main categories The results of this study suggest that older parents are dissatisfied with both statutory and private services, that they have concerns for their non-disabled children and their own ageing. Being a parent to a person who has a learning disability is seen to be a difficult task and yet parents may want to provide support at home for as long a possible. Of the parents who participated in this study, three couples wanted to maintain their adult child at home for as long as possible and the parents who were actively seeking accommodation outside the family home expected to be involved in all aspects of their daughter�s care for the long term future

A high precision n-p scattering measurement at 14.9 MeV

The n-p scattering angular distribution was measured with 14.9 MeV incident neutrons using the traditional time-of-flight technique with neutron-gamma discrimination. The scattering angle varied from 20o to 65o (laboratory system) in 5o incremental steps. The efficiency of the neutron detectors was measured in the energy range 2–9 MeV relative to the 252Cf-standard, and was calculated using Monte Carlo methods in the 2–14 MeV energy range. Two methods of analysis were applied for experimental and simulated data: a traditional approach with a fixed threshold, and a dynamic threshold approach. The present data agree with the ENDF/B-VII evaluation for the shape of n-p angular distribution within about 1.5%