The Truth About Personal Care Attendants



Often when you tell someone you have a personal care attendant, also known as a PCA, people don’t know what that means. There are millions of misconceptions running through people’s minds. When in reality, having a PCA let disabled people live their best lives. Having a PCA can be life-changing for a person with a disability. I had the opportunity to interview one of my former PCAs, Arianne, about her personal care attendant experience, what she learned, and why it is so valuable to have a PCA or be a PCA.

What would you say is one of the biggest lessons you have learned from being a PCA?

The biggest thing I learned from being a PCA is that attitude can significantly impact those around you. Even when I was tired from my personal life or school, I still tried to keep an upbeat and positive energy to astound Olivia because that is what she deserved. She told me that my attitude coming in every day always brightened the mood, and I think that lesson will follow me in my professional and personal life.

What is your opinion on people who say having a PCA must make a person inherently lazy?

I disagree with the assumption that having a PCA makes someone lazy. I helped with tasks that were difficult for Olivia to do independently. For instance, I helped with drying and braiding her hair after her showers since she has difficulty with fine motor control of her hands. This was helpful, so she did not have to sleep with wet hair and kept it from getting tangled up while asleep. Another activity I would assist with was stretching her lower extremities can help deepen the stretches and perform one that she cannot do by herself. On the days I was not working, Olivia would perform stretches on her own, so it takes away the assumption that she is lazy.

What do you wish people knew about being a PCA? Why do you think there are so many misconceptions about having a PCA?

Being a PCA is a very fulfilling job. Olivia and I still talk to this day and have become close. It was a very meaningful experience, and I learned a lot from it. Becoming a PCA opens people’s minds to a different worldview. People assume you do a lot of heavy lifting and strenuous tasks while being a PCA, but it all depends. As a PCA, you are not there to do these tasks for your client but to help them become as independent as possible. Misconceptions are common because of a lack of knowledge. If someone did research and talked to a PCA, they would understand the job more.

Like many other disabled people, I am incredibly grateful to be able to PCA to help me become more independent. As people may know, it can be tough to find a PCA, and even if you find someone, it is hard to find an organization willing to pay them to become your PCA. Without the opportunity of PCA, I would not be as independent as I can be. I hope this post was enlightening and has allowed you to form a more educated understanding of what PCA is and its benefits to disabled people.

Until next time,

Liv