24-Hour Emergency Assistance

24-hour emergency assistance includes on-call counseling, on-call problem solving and/or immediate response for assistance at a person’s home due to a health or personal emergency that is not related to an injury or an immediate danger. This service does not replace the use of 911 when necessary.

Immediate Response: A timely action done without delay.

An immediate response does not require staff to be physically present if alternative delivery methods are chosen and work for the person. The type of immediate response must be specific to the person’s needs, as identified in their support plan.

Primary caregiver: Individual principally responsible for the care and supervision of the person. The primary caregiver must maintain their primary residence at the same address as the person and be named as an owner or lessee of the primary residence.

A person is eligible to receive 24-hour emergency assistance if they meet one of the following sets of criteria:

The Person

• Lives in their own home (refer to CBSM – Requirements for a person’s own home).
• Does not receive 24-hour supervision.
• Would otherwise require extensive, routine supervision in the absence of this service
• Lives with a primary caregiver who would otherwise require extensive support in the absence of this service to secure help in the event of an emergency.
• Adult companion services: Adult companion services is Non-medical care, supervision and socialization provided to a person age 18 or older

Adult companion services cover services that help a person work toward a therapeutic or community integration goal in their support plan. Examples of adult companions may include:

• Attend a movie with the person to practice coping skills to manage their social anxiety
• Go with the person to a community event to reduce their social isolation
• Play a board game with the person to enhance their fine motor skills
• Provide verbal instructions or cues to the person to help them complete a task
• Assist or supervise the person with tasks such as laundry, light housekeeping, meal preparation, and shopping (for more information, see the secondary information section).

*For more information about this service – refer to: CBSM – Adult companion services (state.mn.us)