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Elizabeth M. Whitehorn, Director

MFP/Pathways 2009-October 2012: Change in Participant Quality of Life After Transition

​Prepared by The University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Nursing

Updated January 2014

Quality of Life (QoL) Survey: Study Sample

  • From February 2009, through October 2012, 650 MFP/Pathways participants transitioned to the community.

  • 620 completed a baseline QoL survey.

  • 389 completed the one year follow-up QoL survey.

  • 188 completed the two-year follow-up survey.

QoL Survey Response Rate

  • Response rate for those who transitioned and completed both Baseline and Year 1 surveys was 82% (increase of 7% since last report)

  • QoL Response Rate by Division/Department:

    • 83% for Department of Human Services, Division of Mental Health (DMH) participants (+4%)

    • 80% for Department of Human Services, Division of Rehabilitation Services (DRS) participants (+16%)

    • 82% for Illinois Department on Aging (IDoA) participants (+19%)

  • Department of Human Services, Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) participants were not included because only 14 completed both surveys. During 2013, training was conducted with 22 Pre-Administration Screening (PAS) agency Transition Coordinators (TCs) on how to administer the QoL survey. It is anticipated that more DDD participants will complete both surveys and be included in subsequent reports.

QoL Results – All Participants

QoL Composite Measure Pre-Transition Year 1 Year 2
Living Situation 22 74 79
Choice and Control (Living Arrangements) 16 82 88
Access to Personal Care 52 92 88
Treated with Respect and Dignity by Caregivers 68 93 95
Community Integration and Inclusion 20 39 44
Satisfaction with Life 53 88 92
Mood and Health Status 18 22 20

QoL Domain Impacts: All Participants

Participants experienced significant improvements in 6 of 7 QoL domains. Improvements were maintained two years after transition. These increases meet or exceed national averages.

  • Satisfaction with Living Arrangements

  • Satisfaction with Living Situation

  • Access to Personal Care

  • Treated with Respect and Dignity

  • Overall Satisfaction with Life

  • Integration and Inclusion in the Community

QOL Domain Impacts* Compared to National Average

Measure All Ptp DMH DOA DRS Nat'l Avg
Living Situation 52 54 54 75 40-49
Choice and Control (Living Arrangements) 66 69 53 52 40-49
Access to Personal Care 40 45 38 47 10-19
Treated with Respect and Dignity by Caregivers 25 14 22 33 20-29
Integration and Inclusion in the Community 19 22 -11 22 10-19
Overall Satisfaction with Life 35 28 39 46 20-29
Lowered Threshold Mood Status 4 3 0 8 <10

*All numbers indicate % point increase from Baseline to Year 1.

Employment/Volunteering and Community Integration

  • Comparisons were made between participants: (1) working/volunteering; (2) would like to work/volunteer; (3) neither working/volunteering.

  • Results:

    • No differences between the 3 groups in 6 of the 7 QoL domains.

    • The data suggests that participants who were working/volunteering or expressed interest in working/volunteering reported higher levels of community integration (24 and 29% points) compared to participants who were not working/volunteering.

Final Thoughts

  • This assessment of MFP/Pathway participants' experience after transition to community living suggests that they experienced significant improvement in their quality-of-life (92% overall).

  • These findings are higher than reported by Mathematica Policy Research (MPR) in their 2012 Report to Congress (75%; Irvin et al., 2013).

The program is doing more than simply facilitating community transition. Participants reported increased levels of community integration, as well as expanded choice and control in community settings