Issue

We are interested in the choice of place of residence for adults with disabilities who don't work and who live in residential care facilities in France. In France institutions run by medical or social authorities have been favored for a long time. Today residential care facilities and nursing home still represent a significant solution for people whith disabilities. They welcome many more people as home care services.

We want to understand the arbitration modes and priorities established by residents when they enter the institution. Does the tension between supply and demand for residential places force the choice of people? What are the limits of margin of decision and action of each? Our question is not one of choosing between life at home and life in institutions but of the choice of the institution.

Method

We conducted interviews with 81 adults who have a mobility impairment, who don't work and who live in residential care facilities. They live in 10 different residential care facilities in 2 French Regions, the Ile-de-France, a urban region and the Haute-Normandie, a more rural region. During the interviews, the questions focused on their residential trajectory and on their feelings about their entry in institution.

Results

The people we met didn't have the same level of knowledge of the offer.

The low supply limits the margins of decision and action. The residential trajectory is mainly suffered. People often had few alternatives to their current institution. However, the family proximity is a key element. The characteristics of the institution (size, urban or rural localization, architectural features, profil of other residents) are important factors but only on a second time.