Really great PERSONAL ASSISTANT wanted for flexible work

Really great PERSONAL ASSISTANT wanted for flexible work - BRISTOL - BS16

My name is Liz. I'm an artist-activist-researcher and disabled woman in my early 60s, living in Eastville BS16. I have a chronic, fluctuating illness which heavily impacts energy and pain levels, limiting my physical, mental and social activity, and entailing periods of rest during the day. I employ Personal Assistants (PAs) to provide the assistance I need with various aspects of daily living - domestic, personal, work, family and social - in order to minimise the impact of both chronic illness and discrimination.

I am currently recruiting for a Bristol-based PA to start as soon as possible for a weekly six-hour block, with the possibility of additional hours as the need arises.

PAs can be PAYE or self-employed, subject to eligibility.

Key Tasks

Main domestic and local duties:

• Housework, including cleaning, laundry, etc
• Shopping, or assisting with shopping, post office, general domestic tasks and errands
• Washing hair
• Planning, preparing and cooking vegetarian meals to a plan that helps manage disordered eating
• Feeding and caring for cats and plants. Taking cats to vet, flea treatment, etc
• Occasional maintenance of outside of house: cleaning windows, sweeping paths, etc
• Gardening
• Basic household maintenance or DIY
• Driving my van, locally and further afield. Routine upkeep of van (cleaning, tyre pressures, oil, fuel, etc.)
• Assisting with mobility, including chair maintenance, occasional wheelchair-pushing, occasionally walking distances (up to 8 km) in natural environments
• Occasionally, 'taking the reins' when I am too unwell to advocate for myself.

Other duties which may arise:

• Assisting in getting to appointments, meetings, social activities, project, etc, including occasional overnight stays away
• Assisting me to support family members
• Occasionally assisting with creative practice, which may be outdoors
• Basic administration and support with projects
• Occasionally acting as sounding board for planning, decision making or structuring text, particularly when cognitive function is reduced
• Occasionally researching impairment-related or household equipment
• Enabling me to carry out any chosen activity whether inside or outside my home, by undertaking other requests which I might reasonably make.

My PAs can be female or male. The exception to this is some overnight or personal care work where, for reasons of privacy, I book female PAs only (Schedule 9, part 1 of the Equality Act 2010 applies).

My PAs generally work a regular block of around six hours each week, with some room for negotiation on those hours. There may be a possibility of splitting this across two different days Occasionally, additional blocks of work and/or overnights away from Bristol may be needed, subject to the PA's availability. PAs can be self-employed or employed (PAYE).

Person Specification

Previous experience of PA work is not needed. Applicants must be willing to learn and adapt and a commitment to this job is essential.

Essential attributes:

• Efficient, with excellent organising and communication skills
• Excellent attention to detail
• Seeing tasks and projects through to completion
• Ability to use initiative and accept responsibility
• Reliability, trustworthiness and confidentiality
• Respect for, and co-operation with, the way I choose to live
• Plenty of energy and good general health
• Frugal to keep household waste and costs to a minimum
• Safe, calm and efficient driver with minimum of 12 months' clean UK driving licence (i.e. no endorsements). (A licence restricted to driving automatics is fine.)
• Ability to plan and prepare healthy vegetarian food, including good understanding of nutrition
• Fluent spoken and written English
• Non-smoker
• At ease with cats

Desirable attributes:

• Basic DIY
• Basic knowledge of gardening
• Bike maintenance (for wheelchairs)
• Ability to accompany on occasional overnight trips.