Court Confirms Attendant Care May Be Provided Remotely

Many automobile accident victims who suffer a traumatic brain injury will have impaired judgment and poor impulse control. They may have difficulty complying with their medications. They may even express suicidal thoughts. They often need cueing, prompting, monitoring and/or supervision to ensure their personal safety. Some will require constant, direct and one-on-one attendant care. Others may not require continuous or direct monitoring but will nonetheless need some indirect support. Increasingly, this may take the form of periodic “checking in” by telephone, text or email message.

The appropriateness of this type of indirect or remote attendant care has long been acknowledged by the Ontario Society of Occupational Therapists (“OSOT”). In its publication Assessment of Attendant Care Needs, Form 1: A Resource for Reflective Practice, OSOT specifically addresses the role of phones and other electronic devices as attendant care tools:

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