Personal assistance for people with physical disabilities: consumer-direction and satisfaction with services

To determine whether people who receive consumer-directed personal assistance services (PAS) are more satisfied with the services they receive than those receiving PAS that are not consumer-directed.

A quasi-experimental survey comparison of long-term outcomes among people receiving consumer-directed PAS in Virginia and persons on the waiting list to receive those services. Surveys were conducted by mail and telephone.

The general community in Virginia.

Ninety-two Virginia residents with physical disabilities living in the community. Sixty individuals were receiving consumer-directed PAS, and 32 were on the waiting list for consumer-directed PAS and were receiving paid personal assistance that was not consumer-directed.

The Personal Assistance Satisfaction Index (PASI); chi2 and t tests were conducted.

People receiving consumer-directed PAS scored significantly higher on the PASI than the waiting-list control group and were consistently more likely to report high levels of satisfaction on the majority of individual PASI items.

Consumer-directed PAS are associated with high levels of satisfaction relative to PAS that are not consumer-directed. Individual PASI items related to control over PAS and flexibility of services showed the greatest differences in satisfaction.