Individual focus in an activity centre:An observational study among persons with profound and multiple disabilities

Increasing numbers of adults with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities (PIMD) are being offered more - and more frequent - day services at activity centres. Little is known about the way direct support persons (DSP) in activity centres divide their time over the various tasks they have to perform and to what extent they are focused on adults with PIMD. Given their functional disabilities, the individually focused attention of DSP is essential if the activities offered in the day services are to be appropriate. This study reports on the focus of three DSP while activities were being offered to persons with PIMD. Results indicate during the activity the three DSP were focused on the person with PIMD for 21.6%, 30.7% and 25.5% of the time. Thus DSPs spent only a limited amount of the available time on individual supervision of a client with PIMD.