Personal Care Assistant for a person 20 hr/wk@ £17.00/hr in NW5 - FTE - £33.1k - London - N16

UKCIL Ltd; Greater London; On-site; GBP 10,000 - 40,000

Job description

Personal Care Assistant for a person 20 hr/wk @ £17.00/hr in NW5 - FTE - £33.1k - London - N16

I am looking for someone to help care for, and to be company for, my 86-year-old dad who has Non-Fluent Primary Progressive Aphasia (NF-PPA).

Hours: Hours are negotiable. My dad has asked for help getting up in the morning and going to bed at night. Initially, he would like 9:30am-11:30am and 6pm-8pm five days a week. As this is a progressive disease, my dad's needs will increase over time, and the opportunity for increased hours is likely.

About NF-PPA: NF-PPA is a rare dementia that primarily affects speech but also other functions. It is not memory-based. If you'd like to read more about it, this is a good place: Understanding PPA.

About My Dad: My dad has very little speech and is hard to understand, but he does understand what people are saying to him and can use thumbs up and down to communicate, as well as pointing to pictures in a communication booklet. He has always had a strong commitment to social justice. He is funny and loves plays on words. He is an extremely kind and patient person and is easy to be with. He was diagnosed with Aphasia in 2022. Prior to that, he spoke French and Russian, was a good bridge player, enjoyed cryptic crosswords, hill walking, music, and had been Controller of a London borough Social Services department.

Additional Health Considerations: As well as his Aphasia, dad has atypical parkinsonism and a longstanding essential tremor. He is still very agile - able to go up and down stairs, for walks, but his movements are stiff, and he has fallen a few times. Dad needs help with personal care - showering, dressing, dentures, and taking medication. As part of the Aphasia, dad has mild dysphagia, which means difficulty swallowing. He may cough a lot when eating. When this happens, he just needs someone to keep calm and prompt him to try and swallow. He is at a higher risk for choking, so knowing what to do if that happens is important.

Family Situation: The situation at home is complex; my mother has Alzheimer's Disease. She still manages the house very well, with only a little help from me and my brother, but increasingly my dad's needs are too much for her. She is a very strong, independent, and capable person, even with her Alzheimer's (she was diagnosed in 2021); however, she lacks insight into their situation. She is very scared about my dad's decline, and at the same time, she gets easily frustrated with him as she isn't always fully aware of his difficulties. She has agreed to have someone come in to help my dad because he has expressed that he wants that, but she will need time to get used to having someone in the house. We need someone who is sensitive to the situation.

If you are not able to do a split shift, the mornings are most important. We can also be flexible about which days in the week you have off if working weekends is a barrier. I am at the house several days a week and can help to establish communication with my dad.