Dos:

Personal Care Attendants can help you with covered services including:

• Dressing
• Grooming/hygiene
• Bathing
• Eating
• Transfers
• Mobility
• Positioning
• Toileting
• Health-related procedures and tasks
• Observing and redirecting behaviors

For adults, PCA may also help with instrumental activities of daily living such as:

• Meal planning and preparation
• Basic assistance with paying bills
• Shopping for food, clothing and other essential items
• Performing household tasks integral to PCA services
• Communication by telephone and other media
• Traveling to medical appointments and community events

PCAs can assist children with instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) ONLY under the following conditions:

• Light housekeeping and laundry for health and hygiene reasons integral to PCA services
• Sole benefit of the child
• Listed on the PCA assessment and service plan

Don'ts

PCAs cannot:

• Assist with sterile procedures
• Inject fluids and medications into veins, muscles or skin
• Complete home maintenance or chore services
• Complete homemaker services that are not an integral part of assessed needs
• Apply restraints
• Assist with most instrumental activities of daily living for children under 18
• Provide services in lieu of other staffing options in a residential or childcare setting
• Cannot work solely as a childcare or babysitting service
• Provide services in the PCA's home
• Sleep on the job

PCAs also cannot:

• Decide your need for medication
• Set up your medication
• Evaluate the effectiveness of your medication
• Inject medications