Managing Personal Care Assistance

Personal care assistants (PCAs) provide the support people with disabilities need to live more independent lives. If you have a personal assistant, that person helps you do what you need to do. For example, your assistant may help you with 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. DB101’s Job Supports and Accommodations article has more information about assistant services at your job.

Paying for Personal Assistance

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

• Medicaid through its Waiver Programs
• The Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency (GVRA) on a temporary basis as part of your GVRA work plan, so you can participate in work plan services
  
• 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, and you can get guidance and support from:

• Your local Center for Independent Living
• The Aging & Disability Resource Connection, which offers a variety of support services, mostly through the statewide network of Area Agencies on Aging, or
• Empowerline.org, which can connect you with available services.

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.

Learn more about PCAs in DB101's article on Personal Assistance Services.