Support Worker/Personal Care Assistant

Job Title: Support Worker/Personal Care Assistant
Location: East Preston
Hourly rate: £12.00 per hour
Reference: BRR7226
Hours/shifts: Various shifts available Monday-Sunday day & evening, to work on a rota with the rest of the team.
Summary
I am a young disabled man in my 30's who requires support to live independently. I have a Chromosome abnormality and dual sensory impairments.
I sometimes display challenging behaviour and am at risk of falls so need support to keep safe at all times.
I am of physical size around 10 years old. I love being around people and enjoy social events e.g. going out for lunch, the sea life centre, bowling, swimming, social groups. Daily activities will vary depending on my mood/needs.
For the first time in long time, I need some new PA’s to join my team to enable me to live independently in my own home with my sister and her family.
Duties include personal care, domestic tasks and support with social activities.
Experience of providing care and working with people with sensory impairments required.
You must be friendly, reliable, patient and understanding and comfortable around animals.
You should be a driver with a clean licence and willing to drive my motability car.
Ability to lift and push a manual wheelchair required.
Other Requirements
• Must be comfortable with pets
• Non-smoker preferred or someone who is willing to refrain from smoking during work hours.
• Must have a UK driving licence
• Must have a clean licence to drive employer’s motabilty car
• Other :
All applicants must be willing to undertake an Enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service check if required.
Successful applicants will be entitled to Holiday pay and will be issued employment contracts.
Description
Typical duties
Domestic:
To undertake such tasks deemed necessary on my behalf on a daily basis to ensure household tasks are completed i.e.
Laundry: Washing, drying, ironing and putting away
Changing bed linen/ bed making
General cleaning and tidying of my part of the home
Taking out rubbish
Minor household maintenance e.g. changing light bulbs
Preparing drinks, snacks and meals.
Shopping
Support to use garden
Making phone calls on my behalf when I am too unwell to do this.
Making tea for the employer's guests
Personal Care:
To ensure high levels of personal care, developing an understanding of my personal care routines, to ensure consistency and security.
Support getting in/out of bed
Help getting into and out of bath as required.
Supervision and assistance with washing and bathing – towelling dry/ drying hair.
Assistance with applying cream.
General hair/skin care
Using the toilet and changing pads
Dressing and undressing/ helping with buttons and fastenings.
Assistance with medication i.e. dispensing, administering and/or prompting
Helping with other aspects of personal care as required, for example assisting to get changed at swimming pool.
Getting in and out of the wheelchair ('transferring')
Mealtimes e.g. cutting up food, assistance to eat food safely/feeding (I will grab things so food should not be placed to near when feeding).
Monitoring me to prevent choking. Wiping away secretions.
Support with challenging behaviour and keeping safe.
Physiotherapy exercises
Social:
To develop an understanding of my dual sensory impairment, using creativity to enable me to receive a range of sensory stimuli to provide pleasurable experiences.
Accompanying and assisting on shopping trips when required
Accompany when accessing social and leisure activities e.g. swimming, visiting cafes, sensory rooms.
Accompanying to doctors/hospital appointments when required
Accompany to therapy appointments or support groups.
Accompanying when clothes-buying, including help with un/dressing and lifting clothes on/off the rails.
Occasional longer journeys
Accompanying on trips out
Accompanying on social events or meetings
The above duties will involve driving my motability car
Whilst on duty at my home - watching TV and assisting with craft activities
Lifting my folding wheelchair in/out of car, pushing my manual wheelchair when out.
Person specification
The successful applicant will be:
Experienced in providing care and working with people with sensory needs
Friendly and cheerful
Respectful of my privacy and confidentiality
Reliable with good time-keeping
Able to both follow instructions and work on own initiative
Hygienic, tidy minded and well organised
Fit and healthy to undertake the required duties
Patient and understanding
Creative
Able to speak and read English to a reasonable standard
Legally permitted to work in the United Kingdom
Able to work at all times to high standards of Health & Safety
Previous experience preferred but this is not as essential as a kind and common sense approach to these roles.
Please note, if you are successful in your application for this position you will be employed directly by the individual employer and not Independent Lives