Live-in asistence u osob s kvadruplegií: přenos zahraničního modelu do podmínek České republiky
Live-in care for people with quadriplegia: transfer of an international model into the Czech context

Summary/Abstract: The article addresses the issue of live-in personal assistance for persons with quadriplegia, focusing particularly on the potential for its introduction in the Czech Republic. The aim of the article is to determine the extent of personal assistance provided to persons with quadriplegia in selected countries and to assess whether the British live-in assistance model should be adopted from the perspectives of both persons with quadriplegia and social services workers. The theoretical part describes the anatomy and pathophysiology of spinal cord injury, the clinical presentation of quadriplegia, follow-up care provided in the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom, and the personal assistance systems in the two countries. The research part is based on a quantitative survey conducted via two self-designed questionnaires intended for persons with quadriplegia and social services workers. The results revealed that the awareness of live-in assistance of persons with quadriplegia is relatively low; however, they also indicated that several respondents would be interested in using the service were it made available, even on the condition of having to provide accommodation for the assistant. Social services workers positively evaluated primarily the individual approach, working with a single client and the variety of activities covered, whereas negative responses referred to changes in working hours, the impact on family life and the lower overall attractiveness of the job. The findings suggest that live-in assistance has the potential to expand and improve the quality of care for persons with quadriplegia in the Czech Republic.

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