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SalaryWe are looking to add one additional staff person to help care for our daughter, Carlie. She is 30 years old, 4'8" tall, and has a syndrome called Cornelia de Lange. With it, she has some mild cognitive delays. However, she walks, talks, reads, writes, uses a cell phone and a computer. Carlie is a silly, goofy, thoughtful young woman but she also struggles from anxiety. She moved into her own house in Rockford in December 2021 and has been successful there with 24/7 staffing. She loves going for walks, reading to people, watching movies, playing games, doing crafts, listening to music, feeding the wildlife in her backyard, and multiple other things. Applicants should have a calm, confident personality, a good sense of humor and enjoy doing activities with her.
Shifts are as follows: 7 am-3 pm, 3 pm-11 pm and 11 pm-7 am. We are currently in need of someone to work about 3 shifts per week. Shifts will mostly be second shifts and a few first shifts. Staff alternate weekends so you can expect to work every other weekend. With upcoming staff vacations, temporary leaves, and normal turnover, there is usually an opportunity for some additional shifts per week if desired.
Duties include providing companionship, participating in meaningful and purposeful activities, helping to prepare meals, going on walks, playing games, doing crafts, helping with light house work, overseeing her diabetic care, and assisting in reducing anxiety by following a behavior plan. Experience working with individuals with special needs, behavioral issues or working in a group home are a plus. Just to be upfront, when her anxiety overwhelms her, she does have behavioral issues. These are usually throwing small things, banging on a wall, etc. She does have brief self-limited flares of more intense behaviors such as other minor self-injurious behavior, minor property destruction or aggression such as pinching. Most of this can be avoided through training and education you will receive. Some staff have never been pinched, some have only been pinched once or twice. Staff self-confidence, use of her behavior plan, and the ability to make her feel safe and cared for seems to be the best predictor of being able to avoid escalations. We will talk with you in much more detail if you are interested. We do want you to know that this is part of the job though. Despite this, she is actually very thoughtful and caring. She is extremely remorseful when she does escalate. It is always the result of some significant internal stress and nothing against the individual.
Reliable transportation is necessary. We will also request some references from a previous employer. The reference should come from a job that was in a similar line of work. Also, she does bond with people very quickly. When someone leaves it is very hard on her emotionally. So, we do ask that applicants honestly plan to commit to at least 6 months. One of her staff has been with her for 6 years as she worked with Carlie when she was in a group home before Carlie moved into her own house.
We direct hire staff and we manage the schedule. We ask that you submit any requests for days off 30 days in advance. We publish the entire month's schedule, 15 days before the start of the upcoming month. This allows us to work around your schedule a bit too. You get paid through her financial intermediary, GT Independence, who manages her budget which is set by Network 180. As her parents, we are very involved in her life and live very close. We are available 24/7 for any needs or questions staff may have. We respect and value her staff immensely and will work hard to keep you happy and well cared for.
Job Type: Part-time
Pay: $20.40 - $20.50 per hour
Expected hours: 16 – 24 per week
Benefits:
- Flexible schedule
Schedule:
- 8 hour shift
- Day shift
- Evening shift
- Holidays
- Weekends as needed
Experience:
- Caregiving: 1 year (Preferred)
- Home care: 1 year (Required)
Work Location: In person
