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Attendant
Care Services |
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General
Information |
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Responsibility for attaining, training, supervising, payment, and |
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possible
replacement belongs to the student receiving care. |
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What
is Attendant Care? |
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Attendant
care can range from minor duties such as light cleaning or laundry needs
to advance care such as bowel and bladder assistance. Attendants are
sometimes roommates. This situation is most preferable for freshmen
students living in residence halls. Attendants can also be arranged on a
"drop-in" basis. An individual may even choose to hire more than
one person to be an attendant at the same time. Another option for
attendant care is health care agencies. You must have your attendant care
arranged prior to moving into university residence halls or apartments. |
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Who
Pays for Attendant Care? |
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Responsibility
for payment of attendants is left to the individual receiving the care;
however, in most cases, payment is covered by Vocational Rehabilitation (VR).
The hourly wage for attendant care through VR is typically $9.00 per hour.
Your care level will be determined by you and your VR counselor. For those
who are not VR clients, you could pay an attendant less or more than the
prevailing rate. VR clients are responsible for all paperwork necessary to
ensure his/her attendant gets paid. When you choose an attendant, the
first thing that you need to do is submit an authorization form to VR for
that attendant. This will authorize that attendant to get paid by VR.. It
is crucial that financial arrangements be understood both by the student and the attendant before the attendant begins to
assist the student. |
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How
to Find an Attendant |
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ODSS will supply,
when possible, a list of prospective attendants, but the responsibility
for the hiring of that attendant, and any future attendants, is that of
the student.
A second option is advertising. You might advertise in your hometown
newspaper, the campus paper the Rotunda or the Farmville Herald
(434-392-4151). |
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How
ODSS Can Assist |
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Before
a prospective student with personal care needs enrolls at Longwood the
Office of Disability Support Services (ODSS) and the student will discuss
attendant care policies and procedures. Some students will need no
assistance, some may need minimal help, while others may need a greater
degree of attendant care. A student should not underestimate his/her
abilities or potential; neither should he/she fail to honestly identify
those routines and activities that do need assistance. ODSS will supply,
when possible, a list of prospective attendants, but the responsibility
for the hiring of that attendant, and any future attendants, is that of
the student. ODSS can do the following to assist the student: |
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1.
Assess need and amount of attendant care required; |
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2.
Supply the student with a list of individuals who have expressed an
interest in being an attendant; |
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3.
Supply information on methods other students have used in finding attendants; |
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4.
Provide information regarding techniques of recruiting, screening, hiring,
training, and supervision of attendants; and, |
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5.
Serve as a liaison with VR regarding attendant care matters. |
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Attendant
Care Living Arrangement |
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Some
disabled students and their attendants choose to live together in the same
residence hall room or off-campus location (live-in). This arrangement can
work particularly well for freshmen and students new to Longwood. Some
attendant situations are non-roommate arrangements (drop-in). Residence
hall live-in attendants must be Longwood students and of the same sex.
This is not true for off-campus attendees. Need and personal preference
will help determine living arrangements. |
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Determination
of Care Levels |
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Five
care levels have been set according to the amount of assistance needed by
the student with the disability. The Office of Disability Support Services
can advise the student in determining which are level is appropriate. All
attendant care situations will not fit neatly into these five categories.
However, this system provides an adequate amount of accuracy and
flexibility in arranging for attendant care. The recommendation will be
based on one of the following levels: |
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Level
One |
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Average
of one hour per day of attendant care services. These services might
include room cleaning, washing and drying of clothes, assistance to and
from the shower, and some other minor maintenance functions the disabled
student is unable to perform. |
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Level
Two |
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Average of two hours per
day of attendant care services. This will include low level quads and
others who need transfer assistance but have at least semi-independence in
bowel and bladder care.
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Level
Three |
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Average
of three hours per day of attendant care services. This involves quads and
others with severe disabilities who have gained independence in some areas
of health care (teeth, hair, pills, washing, etc.). This attendant service
may include dressing, transfer, personal hygiene, and bowel and bladder
care. |
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Level
Four |
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Average
of four hours per day of attendant care services. Involving most high
level quads, this service includes transfers, dressing, hygiene
assistance, bowel and bladder care, some meal assistance, as well as the
items covered above. |
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Level
Five |
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Average
of five hours per day of attendant care services. This involves students
with less self-independence than at level four. This may include feeding
and catheterization, as well as the items covered above. |
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A
student and parent(s) or current attendant should complete the attendant
care checklist that follows to get a good idea of which level of care
would be the most appropriate. You will want to discuss care needs with
your Vocational Rehabilitation counselor, as this is
generally the source of payment. |
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Attendant
Care Checklist |
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The
following checklist is for the purpose of planning care routines and
setting up expectations and responsibilities between the attendant and the
attendee. It is very important that the attendee check all items necessary
for his/her care. This information is used to determine the appropriate
care level. A copy of this should be shared with your attendant.
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Dressing |
Bathing |
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____Underwear |
____Shower -
Frequency___ /week |
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____Pants, slacks,
dress |
____Bedbath -
Frequency___ /week |
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____Corset, girdle |
____Wash hair |
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____Shirt, blouse |
____Wash upper
body |
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____Tie, belts |
____Wash lower
body |
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____Socks,
stockings |
____Dry body |
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____Shoes |
____Push to &
from shower |
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____Braces,
prosthesis |
____Other |
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____Other |
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Personal
Hygiene |
Transfer |
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____Brush teeth |
____Full body lift |
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____Brush, comb,
style hair |
____Standing
(pivot) transfer |
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____Wash face |
____Minimum
transfer assistance |
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____Shaving |
____Bed to
wheelchair |
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____face ____legs
____underarms |
____Wheelchair to
bed |
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____Clip nails |
____ Bed to shower
chair |
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____Apply
cosmetics, deodorant, powder |
____Shower chair
to bed |
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____Change
sanitary napkin/tampon |
____Wheelchair to
toilet seat |
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____Care of
pressure sores |
____Toilet seat to
wheelchair |
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____Dispense
medicine /____day |
____Other |
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____Other |
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Bowel and
Bladder Care |
Miscellaneous |
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Bowel |
____Food cut |
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____Suppository -
frequency____ /week |
____ Feeding |
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____Digital
Stimulation |
____Laundry |
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____Manual removal |
____Room clean-up |
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____Colostomy care |
____Positioning
in bed |
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Bladder |
____Getting books |
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____Indwelling |
____materials
ready |
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____Change____
/week &____ daily |
____Packing,
unpacking clothes |
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____Irrigate
/____day |
____
Transportation |
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____External
Change /____day |
____ Other |
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____Empty leg bag |
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____Rinse leg bag |
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____Rinse bed bag |
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____Change
disposable protective shield |
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____Change sheets
if necessary |
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____Other |
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It
is very important that the student and the attendant communicate
honestly and effectively. It is crucial that what is expected of the
attendant, and the financial arrangement, be understood, and agreed to, by
both the student and attendant before the attendant begins to
assist the student. |
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Resources |
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For
further information regarding attendant care services, please consult one
of the following resources. While this list certainly does not include all
resources available, these sources can provide a more detailed explanation
of attendant care services and issues. |
