What is protective supervision?

Protective supervision is an IHSS service for recipients who require 24/7 supervision to prevent injury to themselves or others due to severely impaired judgment, orientation, and/or memory (their words). IHSS does not provide funding for 24/7 supervision, but it does award a block of hours to cover a portion of this need.

Protective supervision is awarded for recipients who are non-self-directing and whose risk of harm to self or others is due to their severe cognitive impairment. Non-self-direction is defined as “an inability, due to a mental impairment/mental illness, for individuals to assess danger and the risk of harm, and therefore, the individuals would most likely engage in potentially dangerous activities that may cause self-harm.”

For more details, check out our article IHSS: Protective Supervision and Paramedical Services.