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Your role as a PA is to assist your employer to live independently. This involves assisting your employer in all or most of the physical aspects of their life, as often their ability to do these things themselves is limited.
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As a PA, you can support your employer
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At their University or place of work. Maintain relationships with family and friends, Support to meet new people and develop new friendships. To get about in the community. Driving their car or using public transport to get out and about. Maintain existing hobbies and interests, like going to the cinema, gigs, swimming, playing and watching favourite sports and going on holiday. Providing personal care, including support to dress, wash, and shower. Facilitate their wants and needs. Carrying out household tasks like meal preparation, cooking, cleaning and shopping. Accompanying to hospital and other appointments. Carry out certain health care related tasks. You may have the opportunity to support your employer in a student support role; note-taking, etc.
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Full training is provided by the client and where necessary third party training providers. Not all PAs will have to carry out all of these tasks, it may be that your employer wants support with just some of these. The role is often more about companionship and having shared interests.
A PA is ​
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Responsible, reliable, and respectful. Encouraging, understanding, and empathetic. Personal, yet professional. Flexible, committed to equality and diversity. Understanding of the challenges faced by disabled people, willing to learn. A good listener, and has good interpersonal skills. Good at written and verbal communication, literacy and numeracy.
Induction and Training
Training is directed by our client and is provided by existing PAs or carers, family members and where necessary, external agencies and nurses. All of our clients have capacity, and like you and me, they know what they need and how they like things done. They will direct you. Imagine you need your personal care and daily support to be provided by someone else.
You would want to be in control of: - What time you get up and go to bed; How often and when you have a shower or bath; How you like your hair done; How you like your makeup applied; What you are going to wear; How you would like to be moved from bed to wheelchair; How you like your clothes washed and ironed; How you like your food cooked; How you like to wash and clean your teeth; Your privacy; The list goes on!
Online Training
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All PAs will receive generic on-line training provided by a third-party training company. Each client will choose which training modules are most suitable for their PAs. Courses can include: - Fire Safety; First Aid; Food Hygiene & Infection Control; Medication Practice; Moving and Handling; Health and Safety; Safeguarding and Protection of Adults.
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Specialist Healthcare Training​
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PAs who work with clients who have complex healthcare needs will receive training from specialist training providers. This training can include tracheostomy care, ventilatory support, catheter and bowel care, pressure care, PEG care and caring for someone with a spinal cord injury.​
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Induction
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New PAs are invited to an induction meeting hosted by AskJules. PAs will receive all the information needed for their employment, including their Job Description, Employer’s Care Plan and the Induction Training handbook. PAs will have the opportunity to ask any questions they may have about the job and their responsibilities.​
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