Personal Care Attendant Job Description for Child/Teen

Job Description for Personal Care Attendant for a Child/Teen

Job Description and Responsibilities:  The position of Personal Care Attendant (PCA) for a very active teenager with quadriplegic cerebral palsy encompasses a wide range of responsibilities and duties. Primarily this role is to ensure active participation while providing safe, loving and responsible care in a variety of settings (home, friends homes, community). This role requires flexibility of scheduling and some overnights. Care includes, but is not limited to the following:

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

  1. Activities of Daily Living: PCA is expected to assist with all activities of daily living, including but not limited to:          
  • Meals/Feeding: Ensuring that healthy meals and snacks are prepared in a timely manner with an emphasis on fresh, low sugar, unprocessed, and high-quality/organic ingredients. 
  • Hydration: Ensuring fresh water available throughout the day (and night, if sleeping over).
  • Dressing: Ensure properly dress and clean clothes, appropriate for the activities and weather.
  • Hygiene, Toileting, Diapering: Ensure regularly scheduled opportunities to use the restroom. Change pull-up if soiled. Assist with showers, brushing teeth, washing face and other hygiene needs. Ensure soiled clothes and sheets are removed/changed and washed promptly. 
  • Transfers: Assisting with transfers into and out of specialized seating and mobility equipment, and performing all prescribed or recommended physical activities, including, but not limited to: standing, tricycle riding, walking in the gait trainer and any other specialized equipment.
  1. Medical Care.  Administer and log medications, whether over-the-counter or prescription, as directed and only as directed by Parents or Physician.  
  2. Education /Communication Activities: Socialize and interact regularly throughout the day to encourage communication and personality development using various educational, therapeutic and behavioral techniques including, but not limited to: 
  • Modeling conversation, manners, set up and clean up activities, listening, job skills and everyday interactions for the purpose of demonstrating appropriate social behavior in a culturally sensitive manner.
  1. Equipment and Technology: Utilize Equipment and technology, including all AAC, personal technology, and powered mobility, to ensure active participation in all settings.
  2. Recreation, Leisure and Physical Fitness:  Transport and accompany to various scheduled fitness, outdoor and/or therapeutic activities such as personal training, horseback riding and any scheduled sporting or intramural activities. Encourage engagement in play and fitness activities, such as swimming, tricycle riding or gait training, and will accompany on trips to parks and nature walks, as well as to social groups and other activities such as museums, recreational facilities, playgrounds, and cultural exhibits or festivals. Go on daily walks/runs/bike rides and swim outdoors, weather permitting.
  3. Communication with Other Professionals: Communicate with teachers and other professionals (speech therapist, PT’s, OT’s, and TVI’s) for the purpose of ensuring continuity of care and/or academic or therapeutic goals and objectives across settings and ensure that parents are aware of all necessary communications.
  4. Transportation: Provide transportation in modified ramp van or car seat provided.
  5. General Household Maintenance: Provide the following domestic duties associated with care and performance of the Services:
    1. Kitchen: Clean or straighten kitchen (including loading/unloading dishwasher and/or hand washing and putting away clean pots, pans and dishes) promptly after meals.
    2. Living Room and Other Areas: Daily picking-up of toys and clothes in (Insert Name) room or other household areas.
    3. Laundry: Washing (Insert Name) clothes and bedding promptly if soiled.
    4. Diapers:  Empty diaper pails as required.
    5. Garbage and Recycling: Take outdoor garbage and recycling receptacles to the curb according to schedule and bring in promptly when parents are out of town.

Requirements: 

Valid Drivers License

Criminal Background Check

3 References

Current First Aid and CPR 

Ability to safely lift more than 50 lbs