Attitudes of Adult Children Whose Aged Parents are Members of a Sheltered Workshop

Abstract

Responses to items on a questionnaire returned by children of parents employed in a sheltered workshop were evaluated to determine childrens' attitudes about their parents' participation, how they would feel about entering such a facility themselves, and whether changes were recognized in their parents as a result of the vocational therapy. Respondents studied were groups of children of aged men and women who were physically and mentally well, men and women who were mentally impaired, and aged women who were mentally intact but suffering some physical impairment, to determine effects of parents' condition on children's attitudes. While respondents viewed the therapy as favorable, their parents' participation in the workshop did not appear to alter children's feelings about the aging process.

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