Personal Assistance - RKF / CA / 9 / 2024

This is a flexible role, working between Monday to Sunday (bank holidays included, daytime and evening), the role to suit both candidates and employer. Nature of the job role: I'm a Female autistic (possibly also adhd) fibromyalgia and chronic back pain, adult in my 40's, with an ever-growing list of physical and mental disabilities that are making day to day life hard to manage on my own. I have good days and bad days where my abilities can vary - I am a part time ambulatory wheelchair user to access anything of a distance beyond the length of my drive, the rest of the time it's touch points, using either a walking stick or rollator to get about. I have had my dominant right hand reconstructed, so cannot do all things I could before with it. And since diagnosed with complex trauma and PTSD, find I struggle to maintain executive functioning on demand, for things like medical appointments or time sensitive administration. Confidentiality and non-discloser are essential in this role, due to my alternative lifestyle and working from home when able. So someone who is open minded and comfortable with that would be well suited. Main Duties:

• Confidentiality and non-discloser are essential, as when able I still work from home.
• Motivating when needed.
• Prompting/reminding when needed.
• Body doubling me so I can complete tasks I can still do but get easily distracted from.
• Assist with doing shopping or doing shopping if needed.
• General household cleaning tasks or chores I cannot do anymore.
• Assist with personal care & Help with limited food preparation -tasks I cannot access or fully control safely anymore
• Attending medical appointments with me - to take notes or remind me of things I forget.
• Chasing up medical professionals and relevant authorities - I cannot maintain this anymore.
• Keep my notes, and a record of changes with my health updated - I tend to mention it on the fly then never write it down so forget when doctors and consultants ask.
• Help/assist with complex financial issues - such as accounting checks, these can overwhelm me and get ignored if I am left to it on my own.
• Driver - to be able to drive me to and from dental or hospital surgery appointments that require me to be sedated or when needed to drive me on days when I cannot drive myself.
Personal duties: Help with showing - washing upper body especially my back which I cannot reach. Assist with personal grooming - When needed help with dressing and undressing. Medical: Reminders to take afternoon medications, assistance when needed to apply topical medications to areas I cannot reach/see. Occasional overnights if I have had surgery to monitor as advised and complete the tasks, I'm unable to at the time. Chasing up medical professionals, increasingly this is now required, and my autism cannot cope with the constant merry go round required. Food preparation: I cannot cut and prepare some foods effectively anymore, so need someone able to cope with managing autistic textural food issues to help me do what I cannot as I am sick of missing meals. I also need reminders to eat as I end up going all day on nothing sometimes. Domestic duties: Deeper home cleaning tasks, help changing the bed as I cannot do it alone, general tidying help to better address my organized chaos, help to load/unload dishwasher, taking out the bins and cleaning the ones in the home. Manual handling: I cannot lift and carry anything heavy anymore, so I need someone capable of those tasks. Moving my 20kg wheelchair will come under manual handing, for example - though I am waiting on a wheelchair hoist in my car. Administrational duties: Keep an up-to-date accurate account of tasks completed, so myself, anyone covering or taking over has all the details they need to refer to. Assist with any letters and admin when needed. Keep notes updated when told of any new symptoms or changes, for use with medical appointments. Make any appointments needed. Assist to make a list of questions before appointments. Attend any appointments when needed. Take notes at appointments and prompt if any questions. Chase up medical professionals and outstanding appointments. Social duties: Making sure I am getting social interaction outside of appointments and work, otherwise I tend to spiral and depression creeps back. Other duties: Maintain complete non-disclosure around anything that relates to the employer's work.


• To have the ability and experience working with adults with special needs - autism/dyslexia/ADHD.
• A social care qualification at Level 2 or 3 in Health and Social Care, or NVQ 2 or higher in Adult Social Care or similar would be beneficial.
Skills & Experience:
• Good listening and clear communication skills.
• Flexibility and time management, to be able to work flexibly during day/evening/
weekends/bank holidays, both in person and remotely.
• Have the confidence to chase and follow up appointments by phone.