Offering Person-Centered Supports on a Daily Basis: An Initial Appreciative Inquiry into the Relationship between Personal Assistants and Those Seeking Support

Abstract

This paper focuses on aspects of the relationship that develops between people offering daily support and those seeking those supports. We interviewed 16 personal assistants employed in two agencies in the Pacific Northwest. Both agencies are members of a community of practice among organizers of person-centered supports that is coordinated through the TASH Community Living Committee. The personal assistants were asked to describe the aspects of their work that were crucial in offering person-centered supports. Their responses focused on the quality of their relationship with the person for whom they were offering supports. The daily relationships were defined through the presence of six characteristics of the personal support relationship: Presence, Authentic Listening, Negotiating, Moving With the Person Supported, Trust, and Respect. Implications for the organization of supports and future research directions are discussed.

Keywords

supported living community living community inclusion self-determination

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