Exploring Metro and Non-metro Differences in Satisfaction With Services and Community Participation Among Low-Income Personal Assistance Service Users

Abstract

Personal assistance services (PAS) are supports provided by workers to assist disabled people with their activities of daily living. Access to in-home PAS allows people who need assistance with these activities to live in their own homes and communities, rather than moving to congregate living facilities. Because metro and non-metro areas differ in many ways, we explored the following research questions: (1) Are there differences between non-metro and metro PAS users?, (2) What factors are associated with satisfaction with services?, and (3) What factors are associated with satisfaction with community participation?. We randomly surveyed PAS consumers in five states about their experiences with PAS. To answer the first question, we compared metro or non-metro consumers using independent samples t-tests. We found few statistically significant differences between metro and non-metro respondents. To answer the second and third research questions, we conducted linear regressions predicting our dependent variables. In terms of satisfaction with services, our model explained very little of the variance, other than finding that being partnered or married was significantly, positively related to satisfaction with services. In predicting satisfaction with community participation, the model explained about a quarter of the variance, with having fewer disabilities and higher health status predicting more satisfaction. This research indicates that there are few differences between metro and non-metro low-income PAS consumers and that more research is needed to understand what factors are related to satisfaction with services and community participation in this population.