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Employment Opportunities
Home-Within-A-Home Society of Edmonton Edmonton, Alberta, T6J 0P4 ph. 780-436-9125 Information for applicants for a potential live-in position as care provider First, I would like to describe our daughter. She is a pleasant, attractive and responsive young woman of 31 years of age. She is approximately 5'4" and weighs 95 pounds. She has a beautiful and quite normal appearing face with particularly striking eyes. However, she does not see because of cortical blindness although the eyes, themselves, are normal. She is athetoid quadriplegic with a spastic overlay. What that means is that she is quite flexible but does stiffen and extend frequently. However, she can sit in a wheelchair with upper body support and is minimally deformed (scoliosis, slightly misaligned hips). We have exercised her intensively since she was 9 months old and that is why she is in such apparently good condition despite the severity of her disability. This is also why we are insistent that her daily maintenance program be carried out diligently. Alexis does not talk and cannot feed herself. Her food is finely chopped and she enjoys eating. She also has some food allergies. Despite all her problems, Alexis has a basically pleasant and cheerful personality and is very responsive to those she detects are accepting and respectful of her and sensitive to meeting her needs. We have found through long experience that job candidate requirements to work with Alexis are as follows: height: 5'5" or taller (taller is better because lifting is required in seizure or choking emergencies or should there be a general household emergency, e.g. fire, where speed would be important. For most daily purposes, however, the ceiling lift is available and its use is mandatory to avoid possible staff injuries or accidents. good physical condition with no chronic injuries for same reason as above; generally good health. positive and respectful attitude towards client good personal hygiene intelligent - able to learn quickly, remember necessary information and function well in pressure situations, e.g. seizure activity or choking episodes or getting out the door in time to catch the bus for an appointment or to arrive at a venue on time. cheerful, upbeat personality and able to work independently nursing or therapy background is a definite asset - however, we do not follow a medical model and aim for as normal a life for our daughter as possible. This means a lot of interaction, not passive care provision. We train new staff intensively and provide close support (someone always at home) for the first one-two months or until someone is able to manage competently on their own whatever the situation. Hours of work would be dependent on other staffing but would follow a regular schedule. Our beginning wage is $15.00 an hour with basic benefits including Workers' Compensation. Our shifts are: morning - 8 am to 4 pm; afternoon - 4 pm to 11 or 12 pm, as desired; nights: 11 pm to 8am (5 hours of that are designated sleep shift paid at Alberta minimum wage which is currently $8.40/hour). However, if Alexis sleeps all night then so does the staff. Sleep shifts would be optional and some additional weekend hours could be provided for light cleaning duties to make up the pay difference. We are a provincially funded and certified agency operating under Persons with Developmental Disabilities, a provincial government department. We go through a rigorous monitoring procedure every three years, have an operating board and are audited annually. We operate out of our family home, a 4000 square foot home with a main room of 1000 square feet used primarily by Alexis for her program. This room has floor to ceiling glass on two sides as well as two sets of patio doors and glass skylights. It is 20 feet high, filled with tall plants and with a fountain in the middle of it. All her necessary facilities are close to hand. This is a two story house with 5 bedrooms on the second floor and a second kitchen and living room in the basement. A Nanny can live in if desired. Emma Pivato, Ph. D., R. Psych. Program Coordinator: Home-Within-A-Home Society contact by email epivato@shaw.ca
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