PERSONAL CARE ATTENDANT ASSESSMENT PROGRAM
The PCA Program provides support to:
– People with disabilities
– The elderly
– People with chronic health conditions
PCA Services are for people who need help with day to day assistance in meeting their personal care needs. With help from a Personal Care Assistant (PCA) people can live independently in their homes and communities. PCA’S can not be paid if the client is hospitalized or institutionalized
ELIGIBILITY FOR PCA SERVICES:
The recipient must be receiving MN Medical Assistance (MA), or be eligible for Services through a waiver Program.
The PCA Service must be medically necessary.
The recipient must be able to make decisions about their care or have a responsible party living with them who can make the decisions.
ACCESSING PCA SERVICES:
A person can receive PCA services through one of the programs described below. Think of these as the “doors” to starting PCA services, with each program differing in how it is administered.
Home Care:
This program is sometimes called MA Home Care. PCA Services are one type of service available.
Contact your county for more information. The county public health nurse is responsible to do the PCA assessment.
Waiver Programs and Alternative Care
These programs have specific eligibility criteria and have additional services to help people remain in the community.
- Alternative Care (AC)
- Community Alternative for Care (CAC)
- Community Alternatives for Disabled Individuals (CADI)
- Elderly Waiver (EW)
- DD Waiver
Contact your county social services department to learn more about the waivers and how to get services.
A Service Coordinator/Case Manager is responsible for coordination of all services including PCA.
CATEGORIES OF PCA SERVICES:
There are four categories of services a PCA can provide. The categories and short description are listed below.
- Assistance in accomplishing activities of daily living (ADLs) includes assistance with things like: Dressing, Grooming, Bathing, Eating, Positioning, Toileting, Transferring, Mobility
- Assistance in completing other (instrumental) activities of daily living (IADLs) includes things like: Meal planning and preparation, Managing finances, Shopping for food, clothing and other essential items, Completing necessary homemaking tasks, Communication by telephone and other media, Getting around in and participating in the community.
- Assistance in health-related functions are services that can be delegated or assigned by licensed health care professionals. Health related functions must be provided under the direction of a Qualified Professional (QP) or a physician.
- Redirection and intervention for behavior including observation and monitoring: Reminders to start and complete activities of daily living, Redirection of behavior that has the potential to cause harm to you or others.
PCA services may be used wherever your life takes you: Work, Shopping, Medical Appointments, House of Worship, School and Other places in the community.
PROVIDER OF PCA SERVICES:
Personal Care Provider Organization (PCPO)
Personal Care Provider Organization is sometimes call a PCA Agency. This agency is responsible for recruiting, hiring, training, scheduling and paying the PCA staff it employs. A PCA Agency also has Qualified Professional staff to help get you started and supervise established care plans.
For more information on PCA Services, please contact Mickey Kyler at (218)-281-3506.