Leaders & Personal Assistants
What is a Leader?
We call the individual with a disability here at OCIL, Leaders, because we believe that they should be in charge of their lives. A Leader is a person with a sensory or physical disability who directs their Personal Assistant (PA) to assist them with daily needs or tasks to achieve Independent Living.
To be eligible for these PA Services, the applicant must have a primary disability that is of either a physical or sensory nature. The service is available to adults aged between 18 to 65 years. To retain a form to apply to become a Leader with OCIL, please call Sinéad on (057) 93 22832
What is a Personal Assistant?
A Personal Assistant (PA) is an individual who provides a service to Leaders who requires assistance in aspects of daily living at home, at work, at college, to travel or socially. The role of a PA is to assist, not to provide care or tell the leader what is best for them. PA’s enable the service user to make their own decisions and be in control of their lives.The Personal Assistant's job is to assist the Leader with any daily tasks they are unable to do themselves.
The types of assistance a Leader may need can vary from person to person.
Typical duties a PA might have to assist their Leaders with are:
- To assist the Leader to maintain personal hygiene, toileting, etc.
- To assist the Leader in domestic duties, e.g, housecleaning, bed making, laundry.
- Accompanying the Leader on jobs they need to be done, eg, shopping.
- Assisting the Leader in the provision of transport needs, acting as the driver or helping them out of taxis.