Personal Care Assistance services are available for individuals, both children and adults, with disabilities, chronic diseases, behavioral diagnoses and mental illness who need assistance with personal care in their home or in the community. These services are funded through government health care programs to help individuals who are unable to fully care for themselves, and allow them to stay in their homes rather than institutional settings or hospitals.
Personal Care Assistance can help with “activities of daily living” such as dressing, grooming, eating, bathing, transfers, mobility, positioning and toileting, as well as other health related tasks, redirection of behaviors, and “instrumental activities of daily living” such as light housekeeping, laundry and meal preparation for adults.
Personal Care Choice is a program which enables individuals to independently recruit, hire and train the PCAs who provide their care. The PCA Choice option gives individuals a greater level of responsibility in managing their own care while providing an accra fiscal intermediary to assist in handling the employment and management-related functions of their PCA. The PCA Choice provider jointly employs the PCA, bills for the services and pays the PCA and the qualified professional.
What are your responsibilities as a client or responsible party of PCA Choice Services?
- Recruiting, hiring and training the PCA staff.
- Providing back-up staff as needed.
- Providing daily supervision and scheduling PCA staff.
- Monitoring and evaluating PCA staff.
- Maintaining documentation of the PCA tasks and services.
- Verifying and signing PCAs timesheets.
What are the Required Qualifications for PCAs?
The Personal Care Assistants (PCAs) must:
- Be able to provide the authorized cares found in the client’s care plan.
- Pass a criminal background check, and qualify for a PCA provider number from the Minnesota Department of Human services.
- Be willing to enter into a written agreement with the client and the PCA Choice provider that outlines their roles and responsibilities.
- Comply with current state laws and regulations regarding PCA services.
- Be 18 years old, or be 16 or 17 years old with additional training.
**Staff at Bella Mente are always willing to assist in any recruiting or hiring needs.