What does independence look like?
For some people, independence means driving to work every morning. For others, it means raising a family, volunteering in the community, attending church, visiting friends, or simply enjoying the comfort of home.
But what happens when age, illness, injury, or disability makes everyday tasks more difficult?
For many individuals, the answer is not moving away from home. The answer is finding the right support to remain there.
That is where LIFTT’s Self-Directed Personal Care Assistance Services Program, often called the SDPAS or PCA Program, makes a remarkable difference.
Every day throughout our service area, aging individuals and people with disabilities use the program to maintain their independence while continuing to live in their own homes and communities.
The concept is simple but powerful.
Instead of requiring individuals to leave their homes and move into more costly institutional settings, the program allows eligible participants to hire, train, schedule, and direct their own Personal Care Attendants. These attendants assist with activities of daily living, including bathing, dressing, meal preparation, housekeeping, mobility assistance, and other essential tasks.
The participant remains in charge.
That choice matters.
No one understands an individual’s needs better than the individual themselves. The Self-Directed model recognizes that people should have the freedom to make decisions about their own care, their own schedules, and their own lives.
The benefits extend far beyond practical assistance.
When people remain in their homes, they remain connected to their families, neighbors, churches, friends, and communities. They maintain routines that provide comfort and stability. They preserve their dignity and their sense of self-determination.
For many participants, the program provides peace of mind. Family members know their loved ones are receiving needed assistance while continuing to enjoy the familiarity and independence of home.
The benefits also extend to taxpayers.
Providing support in community settings is often significantly less expensive than institutional care. Programs that help individuals remain independent can reduce long-term healthcare costs while producing better quality-of-life outcomes.
In other words, everyone benefits.
Participants maintain greater control over their lives.
Families receive support and reassurance.
Communities retain active and engaged residents.
Taxpayers benefit from a more efficient use of public resources.
This is why Centers for Independent Living across the country strongly support consumer-directed services. These programs recognize a simple truth: people do not lose their right to make decisions simply because they need assistance.
At LIFTT, we are proud to administer and support Self-Directed Personal Care Assistance Services because they reflect the very principles upon which the Independent Living movement was founded: choice, dignity, self-determination, community participation, and freedom.
Every day, we see the difference these services make.
We see individuals remaining in homes they love.
We see families staying together.
We see consumers exercising control over their own lives.
And we see independence preserved.
Because independence is not measured by whether someone needs assistance.
Independence is measured by whether people have the freedom to make choices, pursue their goals, and live life on their own terms.
That is exactly what the SDPAS/PCA Program helps make possible.
For more information about LIFTT’s SDPS/PCA Program, please contact Holly Hanson at hollyh@liftt.org or (406) 831-0031
About Living Independently for Today & Tomorrow (LIFTT): LIFTT is a Montana 501(c)3 corporation organized as a Center for Independent Living (CIL). With team members based in Billings and Glendive, LIFTT provides aging and disabled members of the community with programs, services, resources and advocacy that help empower them to break down the physical, bureaucratic, and cultural barriers that prevent them from being fully independent participants in their lives and communities throughout 18 counties in southeastern and south-central Montana: Big Horn, Carbon, Carter, Custer, Dawson, Fallon, Garfield, Golden Valley, McCone, Musselshell, Powder River, Prairie, Richland, Rosebud, Stillwater, Treasure, Wibaux, and Yellowstone. For more information, please visit liftt.org or download our mobile app for your Apple device.
Our Vision: Empowering aging individuals and people with disabilities to LIFTT themselves above the barriers of life.
Our Mission: Living Independently for Today and Tomorrow’s (LIFTT’s) mission as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit Center for Independent Living serving Southeastern Montana is to empower aging individuals and people with disabilities to live independently through education, support, and opportunities.
