I am hiring personal support workers to help me with day to day tasks.
I am an 37 year old queer, trans, power wheelchair user with a g-tube. I live on my own with my cat, work an office job and do my own contract work, sing in a choir, and volunteer.
I make all the decisions about my support workers, as well as my own healthcare, personal care, daily schedule, food, and every aspect of my life. This job requires listening to me and what I would like, and helping me with it.
Being able to show you can do this is more important than experience or certifications in disability support work or continuing care. These certifications are not required.
Start by December 2025.
Relief Roles are not guaranteed hours, but can lead to regular hours. Roles are generally 1-3 shifts per week regularly, with additional shifts as needed.
Indicate if you are only available for relief shifts.
Typical Shift Times:
AM/Day shifts: 8:30am-2:30pm on weekdays, 9 am - 3 pm on weekends.
Evening shifts: 5:30 pm-10:30/11pm except Sunday is 4:30-11pm
Start and end times may change earlier or later than this with my personal and work schedule.
Needing coverage:
- Mon, Tues, Sat mornings/afternoons for month of January
- or possibly some evenings
- any other availability to cover gaps and when staff get sick.
Answers to these questions help me get to know if it will be a good fit:
Q: How does your experience (work, volunteer, or life experience) make you a good fit for this position?
Q: What is your experience with disability community, rights, and/or support?
Q: What is your experience/ familiarity with queer and trans community or rights?
Q: What is your availability for shifts and how many regular hours are preferred?
Q: This is an ongoing permanent role and requires a minimum commitment of at least 6 weeks, but candidates committing to over 6 months are preferred. Six weeks notice is required to end the contract to ensure time for hiring a replacement.
Description
This position is a support role for me (the employer) to go about my daily life as a disabled person. It is important that the person in this role sees themselves as taking my lead and helping with what I ask, rather than “caring for me” or expecting direction from a healthcare team.
On-the-job training will be provided.
Support workers must mask while in close proximity. The work environment is queer and trans friendly, sex and body positive for the employer, and scent and smoke free (with the exception of occasional medicinal marijuana vapour and mild natural scents).
This position is great for people who can work somewhat flex hours, enjoy working one-on-one, and want to be a part of building a culture of community that prioritizes the choices and assets of people with disabilities.
Responsibilities:
Tube feeding preparation and cooking and baking (gluten and dairy free).
Assisting with medication management. (Crushing tablets and administering through a g tube. Preparing medicinal marijuana.)
Providing assistance with toileting, including emptying a catheter, preparing for the day and nighttime with bathing, dressing, and personal grooming.
Accompaniment on trips for appointments, errands (i.e. grocery shopping), recreational and social events using the Carshare, taxi or Access-a-Bus.
General house cleaning, organization, and laundry.
Support with positioning, transfers, physio exercises and stretching.
Administrative support
Requirements:
Reliable, dependable, punctual.
Comfortable with providing personal care, food preparation, household tasks, and handling medications.
Capable of light lifting (ex. laundry and groceries.)
Valid first aid and CPR.
Up to date vaccinations upon hiring.
Criminal Record Check and Vulnerable Sector Check upon hiring.
Able to follow verbal and written communications.
Comfortable asking questions and can learn tasks and routines easily.
Organized with strong time-management skills.
Open to feedback and working collaboratively.
Able to multitask and work independently as needed.
Prioritizes the person with a disability making decisions and choices.
Flexible to changes in routines and remains calm in new situations.
Will take pride in keeping the client's home clean and tidy.
Able to prioritize the needs of the client before their own.
Comfortable with respectful queer and trans language and demonstrates a willingness to learn.
Familiar with person centered, community language around support work. (Ex. Person with a disability is your employer, not a "patient".)
Assets: (helpful, but not necessary)
Experience with disability community.
Experience with queer and trans community.
Comfortable cooking gluten-free and dairy-free.
Experience or familiarity with feeding tubes, catheters, and/or medications.
Likes to organize things.
Open to travel and overnight shifts for trips out of the city or province. These are rare, but they do come up. If they do happen, staff do not need to be vigilantly awake at night.
Basic knowledge of any household maintenance skills (such as sewing or putting up a shelf).
Familiar with medicinal marijuana and vaping
Has a driver’s license, clean driving record.
This position is funded through the Nova Scotia Department of Seniors and Long Term Care and Department of Opportunities and Social Development, which provide funding to people with disabilities to hire their own personal support workers.
