Personal assistance: what happens to the arrangement when the number of users increases and new user groups are included?

Abstract

Using data from two representative surveys among the users of personal assistance in Norway carried out in 2002 and 2010, this paper examines developments and consequences of a strong increase of users and an extension of the target group. Users with mobility impairments still dominate, but the proportion of people with intellectual impairments, brain injuries, and sensory impairments have increased. The ‘new' users seem to be allocated fewer hours compared with those who received personal assistance at the early stages of the arrangement. Still, most users experience an increase in their welfare arrangements, as compared with the situation before they received personal assistance. The user control of the arrangement seems to be preserved, but it takes more different forms. For a higher proportion of users, one of their relatives or a guardian acts as a manager of the assistance.

Keywords:

• personal assistance
• Norwegian experiences
• increase of users
• extended target group
• user control

Acknowledgements

The funding for the survey conducted in 2002 was provided by the Norwegian Research Council. The funding for the survey conducted in 2010 was provided by the Foundation Sophies Minde. Both funders provided economic support to enhance knowledge about disabled people, but they were not active with regard to research design, the structuring of the survey, the choice of questions in the survey, the analysis, and the filtering of results for publication.

Notes

1. See http://www.uloba.no