You've had the same personal care attendant for years. You get along wonderfully and she's great at her job. So what do you do when the situation begins to go downhill?
After weeks of screening and interviewing candidates, you’ve finally found a good person to be your personal care attendant. The next few weeks are spent training her and getting your new PCA used to your daily routine and your managerial style.
Everything with your personal care attendant goes smoothly over the next few years. She’s good at what she does and she’s very reliable. Then one day, things take a turn for the worse. Your PCA begins showing up late for work and then starts calling off.
What do you do in this situation?
There are many different reasons for letting a personal care attendant go; they can’t or won’t perform the tasks that need to be done, they have unrealistic expectations of the job or they begin to try and take advantage of you.
Sometimes, the personal care attendant you choose just is not the right match for you. Or, for some reason, she is unable to perform the duties that have been assigned to her. This may make you feel like a bad employer, but try to remember that it is not your fault. Try to remain on good terms with this PCA, as you might want to have her work occasionally as a back up aide, if the situation allows.
Whether your PCA leaves of his own accord or is terminated, it is time to start the process of looking for a new attendant. If it’s possible, begin this process while your PCA is still employed. Although this would be the ideal way to go about finding a new personal care attendant, it is usually not possible. The vast majority of PCAs leave their jobs with little to no warning. This is why it is a good idea to always have back up.
When your PCA leaves, make sure that he returns your house key and any other personal effects, such as books or movies he may have borrowed from you. It is also a good idea to get current contact information from the person.
If your personal care attendant was fired because of a more serious reason, such as abuse or neglect, make certain to call your CIL or the agency that provides your attendant care and report this situation. By doing this, the agency can alert other potential employers of this person and you can help spare others from what you went through.
Losing a personal care attendant is never easy. He becomes part of your life, your family and you may even consider him a friend. But, hopefully, the experiences you had hiring and managing that attendant will give you better skills and make the process of finding a new personal care attendant easier.
