We are looking for someone special to assist us with our daughter Lauren who:
- is a happy, charming, fun-loving 16-year-old girl
- has cerebral palsy that primarily affects her legs (she uses crutches or a walker around the house and a wheelchair to go longer distances), although her arms, hands, and trunk are also involved
- enjoys being active (riding her bike, going to the Farmer’s Market, participating in the Waisman Whirl and other activities in the community)
- is very motivated and enthusiastic, talkative, loves learning (especially about therapy and medicine) and has a great sense of humor
- is a great self-advocate and will teach you everything you need to know about her care
If you work with Lauren, you will have opportunities to attend therapy sessions and medical appointments; learn about family-centered care, the family perspective, and what daily life looks like for a child with a disability; and will have a chance to further your skills working with individuals with disabilities as you practice them in the home and community.
Lauren needs help with:
- getting in and out of bed
- bathing, dressing/undressing, toileting
- eating
- homework support
- transfers in and out of wheelchair
- home therapies
- community outings
- getting to and from weekly therapy appointments
- others as needed
We need someone who has access to a car and can work at least:
- one school day a week 6:30am-8:00 am (help Lauren stretch and get out of bed, shower if needed, bathroom, dress and brush hair, eat breakfast and get on the bus)
- two days a week 3:30pm-8:45pm (after school until bedtime to help with homework, meals, home therapies, transporting to and therapy appointments, etc.)
- weekend hours (8:00am–9:00pm) to be worked out with the other care worker(s) and our family’s schedules/activities
We need several personal care/respite workers to start in August to make sure we have full coverage throughout the school year. Total hours per week will range from 10-15 hours, but there is flexibility to add more, if desired.
We would like to interview and start the application process now (workers will be officially hired and paid through Community Living Alliance and Fiscal Assistance) so that everything is ready to go by the time she returns from camp in August.
We also have a son who is just 14 months younger than Lauren. Although the kids are very close and enjoy playing with each other, Lauren’s care needs can overshadow Alex. Having someone who can assist Lauren will allow us to give Alex the time and attention he too deserves. We are looking for an individual who is not only skilled at working with someone like Lauren, but will also be a good fit for our family. We will spend a lot of time together and according to our last several care-workers, they feel like part of the family! Additionally, we have two awesome golden-doodle dogs, Zeus and Fergus. They are incredibly friendly, furry, and fun dogs that love to play and be surrounded by people.
If you would like to talk with one of Lauren’s current personal care/respite workers about what it’s like to work with Lauren (while in school or not) you are more than welcome to talk, text, email or meet up with one to chat about their experience!
If you are interested in this position, please email stierney@uwalumni.com or call Sandy at 608-215-4505 to start the interview and hiring process.