Job Description
Client profile – September 2018
Support worker requirements,
- Female or Male
- Similar age (or slightly older)
- Animal friendly
- Similar interests – all sports but in particular football
- Driver
Hours required:
Tuesday – 2.30pm – 7.30 pm
Friday – 2.30pm – 7.30 pm
Alternate Saturdays – 10 am – 4 pm
There may be scope for more hours.
Training that is required of Support Workers:
- As per the Care Certificate:
Duty of care, Work in a person centred way, Communication, Privacy and dignity, Awareness of mental health, Safeguarding adults, Basic life support, Health and safety, Handling information.
- Additional training:
Brain injury, Food hygiene, Fire awareness, Capacity and consent
Client information and summary of difficulties
My client is an 18-year-old young man, who sustained a severe brain injury when involved in a road traffic accident as a pedestrian in August 2008. He sustained severe damage to the right side of his brain. This has given rise to both cognitive and physical difficulties.
He is a delightful young man and fun to be with. He is very motivated to improve his situation and become more independent. With support he can set his own goals and plan activities.
My client loves all sports but in particular football and is a massive supporter of Liverpool football club.
He has a variety of other interests and is open to trying anything new and requires support to ensure that activities and his environment are well-structured.
He attends Southport College 4 days per week and lives at home in a house, adapted to his needs, with his parents, younger sister and pets (2 small dogs and fish).
My client may require support to attend a local swimming club, visit the local wildlife Trust, go out for tea at his local pub or to just relax at home.
As a result of the accident, my client has the following difficulties:
Cognitively, he presents with:
Attention span difficulties, ability to learn new things and retaining information.
Physically:
All four limbs have been affected however he is independently mobile indoors and for short distances when at college but uses a wheelchair in the community.
He gets fatigued easily but does not always recognise this.
There is no personal care required as he is able to manage this himself but would benefit from assistance with domestic tasks in the future.
My client also has a rehabilitation team (including Occupational Therapist, Physiotherapist, Neuropsychologist and a Speech and Language Therapist in addition to a Case Manager). Support Workers will be required to work alongside the team and also attend regular multi-disciplinary team meetings.
Support Worker Aims
The role of the support worker would be to engage with my client in a structured programme of activities in the home and in the community in the following areas;
- Assisting with developing routine and promoting a balance of activities. Planning weekly/daily activities, encouraging use of planners and strategies to assist planning.
- Assisting to identify leisure activities and plan them into the week. Encouraging and supporting plans to be carried out.
- To support and prompt my client to utilise rehabilitation tasks, systems and strategies as directed by professionals involved.
