Aide / Buddy for Delightful 24 yr old young man Cerebral Palsy

Hello,

We are seeking a part-time Aide/Buddy/Caregiver for our 24-year-old son. He has cerebral palsy, as well as intellectual disabilities and uses a walker. He's a delightful young man, very social, easy-going, has a great sense of humor, loves all types of music (country- both new and older, contemporary Christian, the symphony and anything with acoustic guitar, etc.) and cooking. Due to his physical and cognitive challenges, he needs extra help in many aspects of his life and requires someone to be with him 24/7. One of his current buddies/aides will be starting nursing school and will only have minimal time available. She will be also happy to speak or meet with you as well to answer any questions you may have. Please read an overview of our son, our family, and his activities below. We are doing our very best to practice safety and social distancing when out in public to minimize our risk of Covid and would expect you to do so as well. Thank you.

HOURS:

Our schedule is flexible and we are happy to discuss what may work best with your schedule. We may hire two aides if these hours are too many for you to cover.

Ideally, we would like someone for these hours and days or a combination of them. If you can only cover a few days, that may be fine as well.

Tuesday and Wednesday 2 or 230 PM until 6 or 630PM

Thursday 2 or 230 until 9ish

Friday 10 or 11ish until 4ish

Either a Saturday or Sunday for 4 - 5 hours. If each weekend isn't doable, perhaps 1 day on or only 1 or 2 weekends per month (Day and Time - flexible).

We are happy to work with your schedule as best possible. This position is year-round.

A person that truly has the passion and patience to work with a special needs person is a must. Our son is an absolute sweetheart but can be repetitive in some of his interests - he enjoys watching cooking on Food Network, Christian music services such as Lakewood Chruch with Joel Osteen, online concerts, etc. He loves all types of music and plays an acoustic guitar (modified playing to a chord - he took lessons for years from a music therapist until Covid).

Some of his past aides/buddies have been students interested in Nursing, Teaching, Physical or Occupational Therapy, Behavioral Therapy, and Psychology as careers, and this has worked out extremely well. However, you certainly do not have to be planning a career in any of these fields or be in college. His aide/Buddy that is leaving was a special ed teacher that decided to transition into nursing. She is completing her pre-requisite classes and is applying to nursing school. 4 of hi s other buddies did this as well.

The key is having a heart and passion for working with a person that has special needs. He really enjoys being around individuals with fun and energetic personalities.

ACTIVITIES: (unfortunately, limited right now due to Covid)

We do our best to keep him very active when Covid isn't around but have modified activities quite a bit due to the pandemic. He takes therapeutic horseback riding lessons on Thursdays at Horse and Buddy. He has a special interest in visiting different churches. He enjoys shopping for albums at the flea market and browsing CDs, DVDs, etc. at Barnes and Noble, etc.

You will help take him to some of his activities listed above and assist him with stretching, some exercise, simple Physical Therapy exercises that we'll teach you.

PERSONAL CARE:

Ideally, you will also need to assist him with his daily shower and dressing. However, if this isn't something you are comfortable with, we can give him his evening shower. He's required help with his personal care his entire life and knows no other way. Thus, females and males comfortable with helping him with his personal care are encouraged to apply. Almost all of his aides have been females, but a guy buddy would be great as well.

We have a Mazda CX5 that is designated as "his car" for him and his buddies to use for activities, adventures, etc. Your role will also be to take him on adventures such as lunch or dinner, perhaps a little shopping outing, a walk at a park, etc. some other activity that the two of you come up with together. We cover all associated expenses for both of you. You will use this vehicle to take him to his various activities. A safe driving record is required. We want him to learn to be as independent as possible, and you will be a very important part of his life.

1 Year COMMITMENT REQUESTED, PLEASE.

Please understand that we try to minimize the amount of turnover that we have with his aides/caregivers. We certainly know that unanticipated things come up. However, for instance, if you know you'll be graduating nursing school and starting your full-time job or plan to move in 6 - 8 months, etc. it would not be ideal to pursue this position. Thanks for your understanding.

PLEASE NOTE:

This is Not, nor will ever be a Full-Time job. If a full-time job is really what you need, please also kindly do not apply. We really strive for stability in his life.

AGENCY:

You will be employed by a great, non-profit organization called A Small Miracle that specializes in managing the care of special needs clients similar to our son. They will provide paid training, do a background check, pay you, etc. They will also have other clients with special needs in the event you are seeking more hours and days than we are requiring at this time.

ABOUT US:

We are fun and easy to get along with. My husband is an avid runner and does Marathons. I'm a gym person ( until Covidblah) and like to do cross-fit type classes, etc. We love the outdoors and love to stay active snow skiing, boating, playing softball, etc. We only have one child.

Please send us an email with any questions, some information about you, and why you would be interested in working with our son. We look very forward to hearing from you! We live near the PNC arena/Rex Hospital area off Edwards Mill Road. We're super close to downtown Cary or Crabtree mall if that helps give you a better idea as to where we are located.

Thank you so very much for your consideration!