Episode 16: The Value of a great PCA
After a brief hiatus over a busy cold/flu season 'Rarely Familiar,' hosts Jen and Haley are back to discuss the critical role of Personal Care Assistants (PCAs) for children with disabilities and complex medical needs, and how to find and retain them! They introduce their guest, Nikki Hayes, who shares her experiences as a PCA for Haley’s son, Felix. The discussion highlights the importance of flexibility, communication, and intuition in the caregiver role, providing insights into finding and retaining quality PCAs. Nikki also touches on the intrinsic satisfaction of her job despite its challenges, and shares the unique bond formed with Felix, including the discovery of his Synesthesia! The episode emphasizes the need for better connections between potential caregivers and families and potential strategies in the search for a perfect fit.
NOMENCLATURE CORRECTION:
In this episode, we incorrectly use the term “nonverbal” which is NOT the preferred terminology (we are still learning, your grace is appreciated). Our kids are verbal, however, they do not rely on speech alone to be fully understood (for example, Felix uses an adaptive augmentative communication device).
PROTIPS
Get in the system, fill out the paperwork—it’s worth it! It is very likely, if you have some sort of rare disease diagnoses, you qualify. If you don’t know if you qualify call …. Disability hub, they’ll point you in the right direction depending on your county.
CONTROL THE HIRING, BE THE “RESPONSIBLE PARTY” PCA Choice program is the way to go. I would never trust anyone else to hire someone for my kid.
FAMILY is a good place to look, but if that isn’t possible Care.com and local colleges/universities with medical, nursing or therapy programs. They could gain valuable experience and you could gain some great Summer help—WIN WIN!
Phone Screening potential PCAs is key. Quick phone screening first will go a long way.
Know your nonnegotiables. Examples: mention any pets, identify right away where you live and if they are willing to travel that far, do they have reliable transportation? do they agree to follow your house rules, such as masking when sick? Ask those questions upfront and then get into everything else. You’ll save yourself a lot of time. People don’t read all the details.
Don’t mention right away you’re looking for PCA. Seed that conversation AFTER you know you want to work with them. It is easy to get certified, it’s just the application process through your Fiscal Agent (i.e Accra, etc)
Join PCA Connect Facebook Group in Minnesota, there are always people looking for work in that group.
Resources mentioned in this episode
Chad Greenway’s Lead The Way Foundation (Tend Her Heart Luncheon)
Center for Orphan Drug Research
Special Thanks
Nicki Hayes for being the world’s greatest PCA to Felix!
Eli Brunelle for Intro and outro Music "New Love" (Eli has a show at the Green Room on April 30th, come check out his talent!)
Todd Piper Hauswirth at All-Good for logo and brand identity
Emily Rodvold and Lift-Creative for web design and development