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What career option would you like to explore?
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Explore a range of general support options
I want more variety in my work
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Learn more about providing specialised supports
I want to focus on a specific type of support
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Learn more about building capabilities and communities that support inclusion
I want to pursue my interest in inclusion and accessibility
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Learn more about supervisory or frontline management roles
I want to move into a supervision / frontline management role
I want more variety in my work
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Personal care
Personal care is about supporting someone who is unable to undertake these activities independently. For a person who needs this support, your work is essential, and they need to be able to trust you. Personal care can set them for the day so they can get on with what is important to them.
Some examples of personal care activities include:
- Personal hygiene, including showering, bathing, oral hygiene, dressing and grooming
- Toileting, bladder and bowel management and menstrual care
- Eating and drinking
- Positioning or moving a person with mobility issues
You can find out more about personal care here:
- The NDIA has an information page about personal care.
- The Victorian government has developed a guide on providing personal care to people with a disability.
Things to consider
- Personal care can require you to assist people at their most vulnerable. It is intimate work that relies on establishing a respectful, trusted relationship with the person you are working with.
- Depending on the requirements of the role, personal care can be quite physical, such as assisting a person with limited mobility to have a shower, or using a hoist to assist a person to get into or out of bed.
- This type of work can be a good way to understand whether you are interested to go further in working with people needing support to stay well and healthy. It can be a starting point to explore related work in more specialised support roles or for progressing to further study and related professional roles in the wellness and health sectors.
- A good way to learn more about this work is to check out the NDIS Workforce Capability Framework capabilities that support the objectives for ‘Our relationship’ and ‘Be present’. There are also some additional capabilities about particular types of support such as supporting people at mealtimes. The capabilities provide a good understanding of attitudes and behavioural indicators for doing this work well.
More information and resources
You can find out more about personal care here:
- The NDIA has an information page about personal care.
- The Victorian government has developed a guide on providing personal care to people with a disability.