Myers A M
Br Med J (Clin Res Ed). 1982 Jul 24;285(6337):269-73. doi: 10.1136/bmj.285.6337.269.
A new community-focused mental handicap service was started in a single-district area health authority in 1974. Almost 90% of all the severely mentally handicapped people in a population of 250,000 are now known to the service. Although two-thirds of long stay inpatients originally admitted with major behavioural problems have had them resolved, the remaining one-third with persisting problems are noted to have spent many years in large understaffed wards before transfer. Specialist services to mentally handicapped people are not synonymous with beds. The learning opportunities during the waking hours of a mentally handicapped person are where professional help must be concentrated, and extensive support services for those caring for the mentally handicapped at home must be set up. Absence of shared philosophies, policies, and planning among the health and local authorities has produced the problems and frustrations familiar to many professionals in mental handicap. Future developments must be based on clearly defined and declared principles.
1974年，在一个单区卫生管理局启动了一项新的以社区为重点的智力障碍服务。在25万人口中，几乎90%的重度智力障碍者现在都已被该服务机构知晓。尽管最初因严重行为问题入院的长期住院患者中有三分之二的问题已得到解决，但仍有三分之一存在持续问题的患者在转院之前，曾在人员严重不足的大病房里住了许多年。为智力障碍者提供的专科服务并非等同于床位。必须将专业帮助集中在智力障碍者清醒时间的学习机会上，并且必须为在家照顾智力障碍者的人建立广泛的支持服务。卫生部门和地方当局之间缺乏共同的理念、政策和规划，这给许多智力障碍领域的专业人员带来了常见的问题和挫折。未来的发展必须基于明确界定和宣示的原则。
