When you follow your heart to a caring career, you make a real difference in the lives of others. Jessica shared this information—in her own words—about the difference having dedicated Personal Care Assistants (PCAs) have made in her life.
How does having the right care and support make a real difference in your life?
Having the right care and support allows me to actively live the life I’ve been given. My PCAs help me with every activity of my daily living. They get me out of bed and showered, help with my bathroom needs, grooming, getting dressed, and many other tasks. With my PCA's total assistance, I can prepare and eat healthy food. Because of my PCA’s support in my life, I could get to work and have a career for over 25 years and be out in the community and participate in the world. If I didn’t have PCAs, none of this would be possible.
Share something important that you were able to do or an event you were able to attend, or something else you were able to take part in because you had the care and support you needed.
There are many important things I’ve been able to do because I had the support I needed. Here are a few—I was able to go to college, have a career, attend training to get my service dog, go on several vacations, attend weddings, classes/seminars, and live life.
What is something else you want others to know about caring professionals.
Being a PCA is SO much more than just a job; it’s a hidden gem opportunity. When you have the experience of taking care of another person, you see a side of life many don’t see, creating positive change and resilience in you. When you are the one person being counted on for another person’s survival, you can’t help but learn about yourself and grow as a person. As a PCA, you quickly understand the real responsibility, dependability, importance, and genuine ability to care about others that are essential for the job. I consider PCAs to be true earth angels that make huge sacrifices to help the most vulnerable population stay in their homes and live their lives. They quite literally give life to others. Most of my PCAs have become some of my best friends, with the strongest connection to each other.
