A pilot assessment of water, sanitation, hygiene and home-based care services for people living with HIV/AIDS in rural and peri-urban communities in South Africa.

A short-term assessment of water, sanitation, hygiene and home-based care services in two rural and two peri-urban communities in South Africa was made using specially designed questionnaires. The results from this assessment indicated the shortcomings of various sections in the service provision to people affected and living with HIV/AIDS in South Africa. This paper is a summarised version of the assessment and aims to give an indication of the inadequacies of some of these services.

The provision of high levels of personal assistance services in the U.S.

State programs which provide personal assistance services (PAS) were surveyed to determine how many offer 24-hours of PAS per day if necessary. A total of 103 programs in 44 states were contacted and of these 23 (22.3%) in 7 states said that they offered 24-hour PAS in at least some circumstances. Persons with significant levels of disability who do not have extensive informal supports and live in states which do not offer 24-hour PAS may be placed in nursing homes or other institutions. The research highlights problems in defining 24-hour PAS and determining who needs this level of service. The economic and policy implications of 24-hour PAS are discussed and specific research is recommended on the cost of different models of service provision.