The Needs Assessment survey for individuals and families and the one completed by providers requested information about the same list of services. In addition, individuals and families were asked about their satisfaction with services received and about services they needed. Providers noted which services they provided, and whether each service was available to children and/or adults with brain injuries. In this way the levels of satisfaction and need obtained from individuals and families can be mapped to the services that providers report offering. While OLRS had intended to obtain larger samples than the 47 surveys regarding children (birth - 21 years old) and the 143 providers, this data pool nonetheless contains valuable information.
Services that individuals with brain injuries and families report they received were primarily traditional services. Services received by at least half of respondents include general medical care (68%), medical care for their brain injury (53%), dental care (51%) and support groups (50%). The next eight most received services range from 38% who had case managers to 23% receiving cognitive training.
Individuals with brain injuries and their families also noted the services they need. Many of these services, if provided, would improve the quality of everyday living, and provide more opportunities for community inclusion. The service most needed was cognitive training defined on the survey as "retraining your brain to improve everyday skills" (43%), and 40% want more opportunities for recreation and social activities. Also needed are family counseling (39%), individual counseling (35%), and behavioral supports, defined as "learning ways to reduce or avoid unwanted behavior" (38%).
For many services, there is a disconnection between what agencies provide and what individuals with brain injuries and their families want. The chart below displays the services that agencies are most likely to provide.
| Case management | OT-PT | Individual counseling | Social skills | Behavior support | Speech therapy | Cognitive training | Communication skills | Budget training | Nursing | Recreation | Transportation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All providers | 53% | 40% | 47% | 50% | 43% | 38% | 36% | 42% | 41% | 38% | 38% | 43% |
| Select providers | 72% | 67% | 65% | 65% | 64% | 62% | 61% | 59% | 55% | 54% | 49% | 48% |
(Select providers = The 69 providers listed as "pull-down" menu choices on the survey: ADAMH-MH Board, CBMRDD, Area Agency on Aging, Rehabilitation Hospital, Nursing Home, Outpatient)
This Needs Assessment identifies a number of services that individuals and families want that are not available to them. Through this report, individuals with brain injuries and families provide agencies with information about significant gaps in service provision. Providers can make a business case for developing customer-driven services, and fill niche markets valued by individuals and their families.
This table displays the similarities and differences for services that agencies reported they provided and those individuals and families wanted.
Providers are separated into two columns: all of the 143 providers, and the 69 providers (the "select providers") listed on the survey's pull-down menu that were likely to provide services to people with brain injuries.
The remaining 74 agencies ranged from those that provided services (for example, center for independent living, sheltered workshop, assisted living, health department); to vendors of durable medical equipment and van rentals; to organizations that serve the general public (for example, libraries, universities and departments of recreation).
The numbers may seem to show that providers provide the services that people with BI need to the degree that respondents report they need them. But, the individuals who answered the survey were primarily from rural areas (57%), while the providers who answered the survey primarily served people in urban areas (56%), and primarily served people in only one county (67%).
| Services | Provided by all 143 providers | Provided by 69 select providers | Needed by individuals and families (522) |
|---|---|---|---|
| cognitive training | 36% | 61% | 43% |
| recreation | 38% | 49% | 40% |
| family counseling | 29% | 41% | 39% |
| behavioral supports | 43% | 64% | 38% |
| neuropsychology | 14% | 22% | 37% |
| individual counseling | 47% | 65% | 35% |
| social skills | 50% | 65% | 31% |
| case management | 53% | 72% | 30% |
| legal for TBI | 2% | 4% | 30% |
| dental | 8% | 16% | 29% |
| money and budget training | 41% | 55% | 29% |
| support group | 20% | 32% | 28% |
| occupational or physical therapy | 40% | 67% | 28% |
| vision for TBI | 11% | 16% | 27% |
| community skills | 42% | 59% | 27% |
| housing assistance | 25% | 29% | 26% |
| medical services related to TBI | 16% | 29% | 26% |
| assistive technology | 19% | 28% | 26% |
| help getting job | 31% | 39% | 25% |
| transportation | 43% | 48% | 25% |
| learning supports after high school | 20% | 23% | 24% |
| help keeping a job | 30% | 39% | 22% |
| home modifications | 22% | 30% | 21% |
| respite | 31% | 41% | 20% |
| speech therapy | 38% | 62% | 18% |
| medical services - general | 22% | 35% | 15% |
| home care | 22% | 28% | 12% |
| emergency shelter | 13% | 17% | 8% |
| inpatient rehab | 22% | 38% | 8% |
| learning supports through high school | 25% | 30% | 7% |
| alcohol-drug treatment | 17% | 26% | 6% |
| nursing | 38% | 54% | 5% |
| Services | Number | Percentage (%) | Children | Adults |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| case management | 76 | 53% | 44 | 69 |
| home care | 32 | 22% | 14 | 31 |
| housing | 36 | 25% | 13 | 34 |
| home modifications | 31 | 22% | 18 | 31 |
| emergency shelter | 18 | 13% | 5 | 17 |
| respite | 44 | 31% | 19 | 42 |
| learning through high school | 36 | 25% | 34 | 14 |
| learning after high school | 29 | 20% | 12 | 25 |
| inpatient rehab | 31 | 22% | 9 | 30 |
| speech therapy | 54 | 38% | 29 | 47 |
| cognitive training | 52 | 36% | 28 | 50 |
| OT-PT | 57 | 40% | 30 | 51 |
| nursing | 54 | 38% | 23 | 51 |
| individual counseling | 67 | 47% | 37 | 61 |
| family counseling | 42 | 29% | 27 | 36 |
| neuropsychology | 20 | 14% | 6 | 19 |
| alcohol-drug treatment | 24 | 17% | 7 | 24 |
| behavioral supports | 62 | 43% | 39 | 53 |
| vision for TBI | 16 | 11% | 7 | 16 |
| vision - general | 25 | 17% | 8 | 23 |
| medical for TBI | 23 | 16% | 8 | 22 |
| medical - general | 32 | 22% | 10 | 32 |
| dental | 12 | 8% | 4 | 12 |
| assistive technology | 27 | 19% | 20 | 23 |
| help getting job | 44 | 31% | 16 | 43 |
| help keeping job | 43 | 30% | 11 | 43 |
| community skills | 60 | 42% | 36 | 54 |
| social skills | 71 | 50% | 42 | 65 |
| budget training | 59 | 41% | 28 | 56 |
| transportation | 61 | 43% | 30 | 60 |
| support group | 29 | 20% | 7 | 28 |
| recreation | 54 | 38% | 27 | 52 |
| legal for TBI | 3 | 2% | 2 | 3 |
| Services | Number | Percentage (%) | Children | Adults |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| case management | 50 | 72% | 32 | 46 |
| home care | 19 | 28% | 9 | 18 |
| housing | 20 | 29% | 5 | 20 |
| home modifications | 21 | 30% | 12 | 21 |
| emergency shelter | 12 | 17% | 4 | 11 |
| respite | 28 | 41% | 13 | 27 |
| learning through high school | 21 | 30% | 20 | 7 |
| learning after high school | 16 | 23% | 6 | 13 |
| inpatient rehab | 26 | 38% | 8 | 25 |
| speech therapy | 43 | 62% | 25 | 38 |
| cognitive training | 42 | 61% | 24 | 41 |
| OT-PT | 46 | 67% | 27 | 41 |
| nursing | 37 | 54% | 19 | 36 |
| individual counseling | 45 | 65% | 24 | 40 |
| family counseling | 28 | 41% | 18 | 24 |
| neuropsychology | 15 | 22% | 5 | 14 |
| alcohol-drug treatment | 18 | 26% | 5 | 18 |
| behavioral supports | 44 | 64% | 28 | 39 |
| vision for TBI | 11 | 16% | 3 | 11 |
| vision - general | 16 | 23% | 3 | 15 |
| medical for TBI | 20 | 29% | 7 | 19 |
| medical - general | 24 | 35% | 8 | 24 |
| dental | 11 | 16% | 4 | 11 |
| assistive technology | 19 | 28% | 14 | 18 |
| help getting job | 27 | 39% | 10 | 26 |
| help keeping job | 27 | 39% | 6 | 27 |
| community skills | 41 | 59% | 23 | 37 |
| social skills | 45 | 65% | 26 | 41 |
| budget training | 38 | 55% | 14 | 37 |
| transportation | 33 | 48% | 16 | 32 |
| support group | 22 | 32% | 4 | 21 |
| recreation | 34 | 49% | 13 | 34 |
| legal for TBI | 3 | 4% | 2 | 3 |