The suprapersonal environments of sheltered care settings

Abstract

The Resident and Staff Information Form (RESIF) measures the aggregate characteristics of residents and staff of sheltered care settings (the suprapersonal environment) in terms of nine conceptually unified dimensions. The dimensions include measures of residents' social backgrounds, current functioning, and use of facility services. The development of the RESIF is outlined, nd psychometric characteristics, based on data from 93 representative facilities, are presented. Relationships among RESIF dimensions and between these dimensions and facility characteristics are examined. The data show that the aggregate characteristics of residents vary markedly among facilities. The suprapersonal environment in turn is related to other facility characteristics. Residents who are high on social resources or whose functional abilities are high are likely to be more active and to live in facilities that provide more physical resources, more control, and higher cohesion, organization, and physical comfort. The results indicate the existence of mechanisms of selection and social allocation that determine where a person is likely to live.