Definition of Personal Assistance
- Personal assistance means that the consumer exercises the maximum control over how his/her services are organized.
- With PAS, you are assisting the consumer with everything they would have done by himself/herself had it not been for a physical, mental or intellectual disability.
- The term “personal” means customized to the individual’s needs.
- With PAS the consumer is the EMPLOYER.
- With PAS the consumer decides what tasks are be delegated to whom, and how the tasks are to be done.
- The consumer must be able to recruit, train, schedule, supervise, and if necessary fire his/her own assistants.
- PAS enables consumers to take their rightful place in family, work and society.
Most existing services cannot be called “personal assistance” because they are tied to specific physical locations, and not to the individual who needs the service. Therefore, the consumer has to (follow) the service rather than the other way around.
With PAS, persons with disabilities need no longer be a burden on families. Parents, husbands, or wives do not need to stay at home and sacrifice their own careers. The relationship that is established between the consumer and attendant is unique. Once that relationship is established, PAS can be one of the most rewarding and satisfying jobs available.
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