[The mentally retarded in the local community--living conditions, family situation, school attendance, work, leisure and aid activities].

The Norwegian Government has decided to reform the care of the mentally retarded by closing the institutions and by placing the whole responsibility for all mentally retarded with the local authorities. The idea is to integrate the mentally retarded into the community in order to normalize their living conditions. A survey on the demand for housing, work, schooling, leisure activities and home support was carried out in order to establish the consequences of the reform. 3/4 of the whole group are adults, and both the group now living at home and the group in institutions will need new housing, either individually or in small groups. The same groups will have to be offered specially adopted work. Several have never attended school or at most have very incomplete schooling compared with what the law prescribes. Offers of leisure activities and home support will have to be expanded by three or four times the present level. An important finding was that the group who lived at home were in greatest need of the care and activities for which the local authorities will be responsible. They have very old parents and for many of them the situation will soon become critical. The reform will have large economic consequences, and the Government is willing to pay only a part of these costs.