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Community and Family Support/
State Personal Assistance Services
Independent Living means having the option to choose to live or remain in your home or community setting, with emphasis on community base supports and services. This includes such services as information and referral sources, independent living skills training, peer support, system and individual advocacy. The Independent Living program also offers a State Personal Assistance Services (SPAS) Program and a Community and Family Support Program.
How do I qualify for services?To be eligible for Independent Living services an individual:
- Must have a significant physical, mental, cognitive or sensory impairment that impedes or substantially limits their ability to function independently in the family or the community; and
- Must be able to benefit from independent living services by improving their ability to function, continue functioning, or move toward functioning independently within the family or the community.
To qualify for the State Personal Assistance Services (SPAS) Program, an individual must:
- Have a significant disability;
- Be between 18 and 60 years of age (an individual who begins to receive services between the ages of 18 and 60 shall continue to receive services after age 60, provided that all other eligibility requirements are met).
- Need personal assistance services from the SPAS Program to prevent or remove the consumer/recipient from inapproriate placement in an institutional setting or enhance the consumer/recipient's employability.
- Provide verification of the disability from the treating physician.
- Be capable of hiring, firing, and supervising the persons who provide personal assistance services.
To qualify for the Community and Family Support Program, an individual:
- Must have a severe physical and/or cognitive disabilities
- Must be 22 and over, whose disability was manifested after attainment of age 22, but prior to age 55
To apply for Independent Living (IL) services or the State Personal Assistance Services Program, you should contact the nearest Center for Independent Living, listed below:
New Horizons, Inc.
8508 Line Avenue, Suite D
Shreveport, LA 71118
Telephone: (318) 671-8131
1-877-219-7327
Fax: (318) 688-7823Southwest Louisiana Independence Center, Inc.
1202 Kirkman Street
Lake Charles, LA 70601
Telephone: (337) 477-7194
1-800-403-1062
Fax: (337) 477-7198Louisiana Rehabilitation Services
627 North Fourth Street
Baton Rouge, LA 70802
Telephone: (225) 219-2947
1-800-737-2958
Fax: (225) 219-4010
Serving the Baton Rouge and New Orleans Regions
Contact: Paige Kelly
To apply for Community and Family Support Program services, an individual should contact the:
What Services Are Available?Louisiana Rehabilitation Services
627 North Fourth Street
Baton Rouge, LA 70802
Telephone: (225) 219-2947
1-800-737-2958
Fax: (225) 219-4010
Serving the Baton Rouge and New Orleans Regions
Contact: Paige Kelly
Independent Living services include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Counseling
- Mobility training
- Personal Assistance Services
- Physical rehabilitation
- Provision of needed prosthesis, other appliances and devices
- Community awareness programs to enhance the understanding and integration into society of individuals with disabilities
- Interpreter and reader services
- Individual and group social and recreational services
State Personal Assistance Services Program services include, but are not limited to, assistance with the following activities of daily living:
- Routine bodily functions, such as bowel or bladder care
- Dressing
- Preparation and consumption of food
- House cleaning and laundry
- Moving in/out of bed
- Routine bathing
- Ambulation
- Any other similar activity of daily living
The following services are available to eligible individuals under the Community and Family Support Program:
- Communication services such as braille devices, interpreters, etc.
- Community supports such as dental and medical care not covered by Medicare
- Companion or roommate services
- Crisis intervention
- Equipment and supplies such as prosthetics, mobility and sensory aids, etc.
- Home and vehicle modifications needed for accessibility
- Personal assistance services such as assistance with bowel/bladder care, dressing, bathing, etc.
- Counseling services
- Home health Services
- Homemaker services
- Recreation services to improve access to community recreation and to educate service providers
- Service coordination
- Specialized diagnosis and evaluation
- Specialized nutrition and clothing
- Specialized utility costs
- Therapeutic services, such as occupational and physical therapy, speech and language therapy, etc.
- Respite care
- Rent subsidy
The Community and Family Support Program is a supported living program that provides supports in a flexible, individualized manner to assist persons with severe disabilities to exit institutions, such as nursing homes, and to enter a community living arrangement of their choice. This program provides individuals with severe disabilities with the ability to become independent in the community by providing services in an integrated setting at a cost lower than the cost of institutionalization. This improves the standard of living for individuals with very severe disabilities and is cost effective to the State of Louisiana.
Can a family member be my Personal Care Attendant?
To learn more about who can serve as a State Personal Care Attendant, you should contact the nearest Center for Independent Living to discuss this possibility.
What kind of people make good personal care attendants?
Some characteristics of a good attendant are:
- Ability to follow directions
- Good listening and communication skills
- Honesty
- Reliability and dependability
- Respect for the disabled individual's right to do things their own way
- Adaptability
Experience is often not necessary. In fact, many disabled people consider attitude more important than experience in selection of attendants; that is--willingness to listen and learn.
Is any special training needed to do personal care attendant work?
Many attendant positions do not require special training since an attendant is not a nurse or a therapist. Many persons with disabilities who employ a personal care attendant can teach a new attendant what they need to know.
The amount of time commitment can vary significantly. Some persons with disabilities only need help a couple of hours a week. Others may need help for a few hours a day. Persons with disabilities often need help in the morning or evening. Publications
For additional information, please contact the:
Independent Living Program Coordinator
Louisiana Rehabilitation Services
627 N. Fourth Street, 2nd Floor
Baton Rouge, LA 70802
225-219-2225 or 1-800-737-2958
The Independent Living Program serves approximately 2,200 individuals per year.
The State Personal Assistance Services Program currently serves 22 individuals.
Currently, 22 individuals are receiving supported living services through the Community and Family Support Program. With supported living services, these individuals have an improved quality of life at a cost well below that of institutionalization. The average yearly cost per individual for this program is approximately $12,080 per year as opposed to the cost of $25,000-$56,000 for individuals who are institutionalized.
Related LinksAmericans Disabled for Attendant Programs Today
Independent Living Research Utilization
Directory of Independent Living Centers
Directory of Statewide Independent Living Councils
U.S. Rehabilitation Services Administration
Institute on Independent Living
