Managing Personal Care Assistance

Personal care assistants (PCAs) support people with disabilities to live more independent lives. An assistant works directly for and is employed by you, the person with the disability.

The role of a personal care assistant is to help you be able to do what you need to do. Your assistant may provide you with assistance when dressing, going from one place to another, preparing meals, bathing, or other activities.

Personal care assistants can also help you in the workplace to do different types of tasks. They can help with personal care, like in the restroom or at lunch breaks, or can help with job-related tasks, like help with reading, interpreting, lifting or reaching work materials, and travel assistance between work sites.

Paying for Personal Assistance

Some or all of the cost of hiring your personal care assistant may be paid by:

• Employment and Independence for People with Disabilities (EIPD) as part of your independent living plan
  
• Veterans' benefits
• Long-Term Care insurance
• Private payments by you or your family

Finding Personal Care Assistants

Some people with disabilities rely on their family or friends for personal care assistance. Others decide to hire individuals who are not their family or friends. You can find good PCAs a number of different ways, including your local Center for Independent Living, online, or through a Personal Care Services agency. The North Carolina Senior Care Council has a list of Home Care Services Agencies by city and the Association for Home & Hospice Care of North Carolina offers an online Directory of Home Care, Home Health, Hospice and Palliative Care Providers.

Ensuring a Good Relationship

Since you will likely be the person who hires, trains, and manages your PCA, it is important to make sure you learn how to do that. You’ll also be spending a lot of time with your assistant and need to make sure the two of you have good communication and a good relationship.

Personal care assistance can be crucial to your ability to live independently. For more information on how to have good communication, tips on how to hire a personal assistant, and much more, take a look at the following resources:

• Making the Move to Managing Your Own Personal Assistance Services (PAS): A Toolkit for Youth with Disabilities Transitioning to Adulthood is a complete guide with fact sheets and tips for all sorts of topics, like finding, hiring, training, and managing a PCA.
• A Good Job is a six-minute animated video that talks about how to improve your relationship with a personal care assistant.