Caregiver/Companion sought by cool, fun loving family for a 14-year-old male in a wheelchair.
Norview area. Must love dogs! Must not smoke (not even secondhand smoke, from someone living with you!) Must love sports,
have a sense of humor, love technology (Playstation and computer games), be reliable, energetic, able to swim, be serious
about this position and it's requirements, and be able to assist in lifting a 125 pound child. Prefer someone that is young
(age 18-28 years of age) that likes to keep busy. If you are a couch potato and want to get in shape then this position
might be for you. Please fax a resume AND a written statement as to why you would be good for position (references preferred,)
to 853-0167, or mail it to Caregiver Position, 520 W. 21st Street, Unit G-2/706, Norfolk, VA 23517. For additional
information, please visit http://snap4kids.org/id43.html
. Interview will be arranged in about 2 weeks. The current pay is $8.60 per hour,
paid by Virginia Medicaid.
JOB DESCRIPTION FOR
PERSONAL ASSISTANT/RESPITE CARE PROVIDER
Revision Dated 04/07/08
SECTION 1
We need an employee to assist and support in the following ways.
WEEKDAY TIMEFRAMES: 1:30 p.m. to 7:30 (that’s 6 hours x 5 days, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday,
these hours may change) for a total of 30 hours (however, if you would like to work additional hours, please let us know)
WEEKEND (Saturday) TIMEFRAMES: 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (that’s 10 hours, plus the 30 above, is a weekly total
of 40 hours); (however, we only ask that you work 3 Saturdays a month (however, if you would like to work additional hours,
please let us know)
WEEKEND (Sunday) TIMEFRAMES: No Sunday's unless you want to or unless we ask you
EVENINGS TIMEFRAMES: (if you would like to work evening hours so that the parents can go out, that would be great.
Just let us know when you would like to) and we will let you know if we would like to go out without the kids (Our son will
be here to help you transfers) we also have a lift
HOURS MISC: My son currently is authorized to have 40 hours of personal assistant care weekly and another 40 for respite
(so if you are interested in getting your 40 hours of work in, then we don’t have a problem with that - this however,
will be up to you)
SECTION 2
As a personal or respite assistant you will be responsible for the following:
Bathing: Monday, Wednesday and Fridays (and the Saturdays‘ that you work); use the Paul Mitchell tea tree and
wash his hair twice; you how to set up the bath chair and the water (however, if you have questions, just ask) it will be
your responsibility to see to it that this and all parts of the job description are your responsibility (for example, we should
not have to tell you to give our son a bath, to change him, to fold his clothes and put them up, to brush his teeth, to put
his acne medicine on, and to help with homework (unless homework is too difficult, then we will assist him with it, once you
leave at 7:00); after bathing, put him in his PJ’s and don’t forget the socks; we recommend using latex-free
gloves (which will be provided); clean up bathroom after bath and put all items back where they go; He usually likes
to soak for about 15 minutes before getting out; sometimes he will want toys to play with in the tub; it’s best to give
him a bath near the end of your shift since he will be participating in other activities during the day
Transferring: Full assist (you will have help with this)
Grooming: Brush teeth before bed; wash face with Noxzema acne pads (apply daily); apply doctor ordered acne medicine
(with gloves please); apply heel crack cream to the sides of his feet and the sides of his legs (where the wheelchair
hits); always check feet for skin breakdown, if there is some on his feet, then apply moleskin; if it’s his toes
(or big toe, as the case maybe now) he will need a fungal spray applied to it (apply with gloves please)
Hygiene: Change diaper when you first get here (unless our son wants to play first); he should not need
another change until you are almost ready to leave your shift; always apply barrier ointment to genital area to prevent blisters
and skin breakdown; use gloves to change him and use gloves when applying all ointments
Toileting: See above
Dressing: If socks are a must; if you go out somewhere, even for a walk around the neighborhood make sure that he has
shoes on
SECTION 3
As a personal assistant you will help me with the following activities:
Walking around the neighborhood; playing basketball; swimming; reading; playstation; hanging out with the neighborhood
kids; games; practicing karate moves; strengthen exercises; baseball; stretching exercises; football; long walks around the
neighborhood, prone stand (as seen fit by parents); range of motion exercises; sports; you need to be in shape, or ready
to get in shape; prefer someone that is age 18 - 28 years of age, you have to have a young mindset to hangout with our son;
etc.
SECTION 4
As a personal assistant you will be asked to support our son in these other ways:
Meal Preparation: Let me start with, our son always wants a drink when he gets home, so please make sure that he gets
one. Next up is dinner, please make sure that you fix him a plate of food and drink and make sure that he gets to wherever
we are eating that night. For example, in the living room, you’ll need to put him in his manual chair and use his brown
table from his bedroom; if it’s the kitchen table, then just roll him on in (parents do the cooking, but you can get
the snacks)
Housekeeping: Each day you should make his bed; dust his furniture off; mop his bedroom floor; you should use a dog
lint brush to get the dog hair off his bed; keep desk really clean; fold and put his clothes up; organize Playstation games
Laundry: Fold his clothes and put them away; and once a week, preferably on Friday, his sheets and blankets and pillowcase
will need washing and the bed remade
Making sure I am safe: don’t ask him to push his wheelchair onto or through areas that are dangerous (for example
the front and backdoor) yes, we have threshold ramps, but he is unable to safely roll himself over these, without falling
on his face; the same goes for the wheelchair ramp (he cannot go up or down this by himself) it’s too dangerous; remember
he is a 100% total full assist (it takes 2 people to transfer him safely)
Going with me to appointment or social/recreational activities: if we go shopping, to the movies, out to eat, etc.
we will pay for your admittance to a movie or food; however anything extra you want to buy, will be your responsibility
Transportation: will be provided by us parents
SECTION 5
REMEMBER NOTE: Our son has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy and a developmental delay.
What this means to you, is that sometimes he may act or say something inappropriate (for example, our other
attendant was outside playing basketball with our son one day, this summer, but he was to busy text messaging someone to see
the ball coming at you , so the basketball hit him and he threatened our son. This type of behavior will not be tolerated.
If our son does something that warrants a reprimand, then let us, the parents, know and we will take care of it. We
had another attendant that didn't want to go outside with our son to play basketball and when she thought we weren't around
threatened him with a bath to keep him from going outside because she didn't feel like it; these types of behavior are not
tolerated. So, make sure that this active job is the right thing for you before you apply - it will save us both time.
Also, if you have a short fuse, then you will be asked to keep it on a leash.
No cell phones or texting during the time you are here, unless you have some down time, or need to check in
with your family for some reason.
Please feel free to ask any questions about the personal care or other needs.
I feel more comfortable when people understand the purpose behind the support we need.
We are seeking serious inquiries only!