The PA Role
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. As a PA, you can support your employer:
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.
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...
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.
