Assessment of Attendant Care Needs

The Attendant Care Benefit is defined in Section 19 of the Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule (SABS). Claimants who have sustained serious or catastrophic injuries are eligible for attendant care benefits. There is no such benefit for persons eligible for the Minor Injuries Guideline.

Effective September 2010, occupational therapists and registered nurses are identified as health professionals able to complete an assessment of attendant care needs and complete the Assessment of Attendant Care Needs, Form 1 which is used to identify the future needs for attendant care required by an applicant as a result of an automobile accident.

The assessment of a client’s occupational performance and need for attendant care is germaine to occupational therapy practice. However, there are unique considerations that occupational therapists must be aware of when attendant care is a benefit to which a client injured in a motor vehicle accident may be entitled. The specific application and determination processes relating to the attendant care benefit as directed by the Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule require occupational therapists to be knowledgeable about the regulation, the Assessment of Attendant Care Needs, Form 1 and relevant dispute resolution decisions. All of these elements inform the assessment and documentation of needs for attendant care. To assist members to consolidate this information, OSOT has published a practice resource to support assessment of attendant care needs in this sector.

Assessment of Attendant Care Needs, Form 1: A Resource for Reflective Practice, 2nd Edition, April 2011 (pdf)

This valued practice resource for OTs completing assessments of attendant care needs was developed and updated by a Task Force of OSOT’s Auto Insurance Sector Team. The resource provides a comprehensive approach to assessment of attendant care needs, summaries of judgements of past mediations or court findings that give precedence for interpreting the policy and numerous resources to support your assessment and reporting of findings. This resource is NOT a prescriptive guideline but rather a tool to promote informed, reflective practice. The occupational therapist’s professional judgement should guide all client interactions and interventions.