Personal Assistant (KT) - WS9

Job Title: Personal Assistant - RKF/KT/9/26

Job Ref: RKF/KT/9/26

Reporting to: EMPLOYER

Location: Walsall, WS9 8HS

Rate of Pay: £13.19 per hour

Hours of work: 9 hrs

Nature of the job role:

We are looking for a Personal Assistant to support a young woman to gain greater independence and confidence outside of the home and to enjoy the things she loves.

The ideal PA will be friendly, caring, patient and encouraging, and who is comfortable supporting someone with significant physical support needs. A big part of the role is understanding that a physical disability does not mean a learning disability. It is incredibly important that she is treated as a young adult and spoken to with respect, rather than being patronised or spoken to like a child.

It would be great to find someone who has some shared interests, such as music, movies, animals or fashion, and who genuinely enjoys spending time with people.

Main Duties:

This is a varied and rewarding role. You will be supporting her to access the community, socialise, attend activities and events, and do everyday things that many people take for granted. The role also includes providing personal care when out and about, such as supporting with transferring on and off the toilet, dressing and undressing, and providing assistance with food and drinks.

She is non-verbal and communicates using an app on her iPad. Due to her neurological condition, she can take longer to type a response, so patience and allowing her time to communicate are essential.

• Supporting her to access different places and activities, such as the cinema, music events, swimming, shopping and seeing friends.
• Helping her build confidence and independence when out in the community.
• Encouraging her to try new experiences and, where appropriate, supporting her to step outside her comfort zone.
• Supporting her communication by giving her the time and patience she needs to use her communication app.
• Helping her to enjoy social activities and live as independently as possible.
• Providing food and drinks when out and about. Her food will be prepared beforehand as it needs to be blended due to swallowing difficulties.
• Assisting with undressing and dressing when required, transferring on and off the toilet
• Administering her medication when needed. She does not need prompting or reminding to take it; the PA needs to physically give her the tablets or liquid medication as she is unable to do this herself.
• Being confident when administering precise amounts of different medications.
• Supporting her with managing her saliva. She needs to always have a tissue available. Although she can use the tissue herself, it is helpful for the PA to be observant and replace it if it is dropped or needs changing.
• Being sensitive and discreet when providing this support, as she can feel insecure about managing her saliva.

Domestic duties:

This role is mainly based outside of the home, so there are no domestic duties involved.

Social Duties:

A key part of this role is supporting her to socialise, access the community and build confidence. You may be supporting her to meet friends, attend events, go shopping, visit the cinema, go swimming or simply enjoy being out and about.

The successful PA should be encouraging and supportive, while respecting her choices and independence.

The aim is to provide the right level of support while allowing her to do as much as possible for herself.

Qualifications:

None specifically required, although an NVQ Level 2 or higher in Adult Social Care would be beneficial.

A DBS check is essential and will be completed before starting work.

Skills & Experience:

We are looking for someone who is have some experience:

• Friendly, caring and approachable, Patient and understanding. Comfortable supporting someone with significant physical support needs.
• Confident carrying out personal care and physical transfers.
• Reliable and responsible. Respectful of people's individuality, choices and independence.
• Comfortable supporting someone who is non-verbal and uses an iPad communication app. Patient enough to allow time for communication.
• Confident administering medication accurately.
• Encouraging and positive when supporting someone to try new things. Comfortable in social and community settings. Able to treat a young woman as an adult and communicate with her directly.
• Ideally someone who shares interests such as music, movies, animals, fashion or similar.

Most importantly, we are looking for the right person — someone who is respectful, patient and genuinely wants to support a young woman to have more independence, confidence and opportunities to enjoy life outside the home.

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