Attendant Care and Spinal Cord Injury: Usage Patterns and Perspectives for Those With Life Care Plans

The provision of attendant care services is one of the costliest services needed by many individuals following a spinal cord injury (SCI). The current study examined consumption patterns of 55 adults with SCI who had a life care plan developed. Respondents were asked about various aspects of attendant care including number of hours utilized, satisfaction, level and type of care, (i.e. unpaid care versus private hire), received prior to and following life care plan development and settlement. Respondents provided open responses to explain reasons for satisfaction and dissatisfaction with attendant care. Results indicated more respondents received attendant care services following life care plan development than prior to plan development. A greater percentage relied more upon unpaid care from family and friends prior to a settlement or receipt of funding, and less so following receipt of funding and plan development. Finally, differences in usage patterns of attendant care services were noted between the group of individuals who did not receive a settlement/funding when compared to those who did. Participants without funding more often relied upon unpaid attendant care following life care plan development.