Task Assignment Checklist

A person description is a snapshot of who you are. It describes you as a person. It covers a lot of information about you in a short paragraph or two. Some topics it might cover are

• Are you male or female?
• Do you live alone or with your family?
• Do you go to work?
• Do you go to school?
• What do you do for recreation?
• What are your likes and dislikes?
• What is your disability?
• What help do you need?

It can help you in several ways. You can use it to describe yourself when you interview people. A prepared person description lets you present a clear, organized picture of yourself.

Sample Person Description

I am a 37 year-old woman who was injured in an accident. My life is full and active. I work part-time five days a week as a medical researcher, a job I love. In addition, I serve on a community board that meets once a month. I have season tickets to the symphony, the opera and the community theater company.

My friends are important to me so I entertain at home at least three times a month and I meet them for movies or dinner three times a month. I collect miniature animals and study Tarot.

My kitty is a character and has the run of the house. That translates to lots of furry dust bunnies on the floors and cat fur on the furniture. Still, I like to have my house sparkling clean.

My most important needs are personal care and getting me up, dressed and undressed daily and general housecleaning and laundry.

Another Sample Person Description

I am a 21-year old college student majoring in political science. I probably will go on to law school. I live in an apartment within two blocks of the campus.

I enjoy playing cards, chess, and talking with my buddies. We get together a couple of times a week to do these things and drink a little beer. We also go to all of the sporting events. We are definitely party animals.

My passion is oil painting. But no one knows I do this. I keep my paints and paintings hidden.

When I was twelve I developed a condition that left me very weak. I cannot lift much more than a quart of milk. I use a wheelchair to get around, but I can walk short distances. I mostly need help with laundry and housecleaning.

It's a good idea to think about what you would like to achieve in your lifetime. By having some clear-cut ideas about what you want, you can determine what it will take to get you there. Then you can decide the kind and amount of assistance you will need to accomplish your goals. Goals give you something to work toward - a road map for your life. Goals usually cover the wants, wishes, or desires that you have for every area of your life. There are many good books, audiotapes and online resources that can help you to develop life goals. Here are some broad areas to think about to get you started.

• Avocation/hobbies - what do you like to do - paint, sing, photography, arts, crafts, sports, music.
• Career/work - what kind of work would you like to do, what do you need to do it.
• Educational - what kind of education or training do you need.
• Financial - what will it take to create financial stability for you.
• Health - what do you need to do to maintain or improve your health.
• Home/lifestyle - what kind of a home do you want; how will you get it; how do you want to live your life.
• Relationships - family, children, friends - how do you envision your relationships; how will you relate to the people in your life.
• Social/community - what are your interests, how will you participate in your community socially, politically or otherwise.

Once you know what you want you will be able to plan what you need to achieve these goals.

Preferences

Everyone has likes and dislikes - things they prefer over others. What are yours? You will be able to use them in your description of yourself, your job ads and to assist you in giving direction to your PA. Following are some areas where you might have preferences that are important to you. These are some ideas to start you thinking. You can make your own list.

Food

• Do you like to eat at regular times? Do you eat out? How often?
• What kinds of food do you prefer? A variety? Vegetarian? Meat? Seafood? Poultry? Pastas? Rice? Ethnic foods - what kind? Fresh, frozen, canned? Dairy products?
• Do your PAs eat with you? Do you provide them with food? Snacks? Drinks?

Grooming

• Do you have a regular schedule for bathing, hair washing, and nail care? Do you have products that you prefer to use?
• What aspects of your appearance are important to you? Personal grooming (hair, makeup, etc.)? Clothes, shoes, accessories cleaned and pressed? Looking well groomed for school/work?
• Will you allow PAs to use your personal items such as hair dryers, hand lotion, etc.?

Habits/Lifestyle

• Do you smoke or drink? Do you prefer that PAs not smoke or drink in your home?
• What is your daily schedule? When do you go to work/school/therapy or other activities? What time do you get up and go to bed? Is your schedule different on weekends?
• Do you visit with friends or family? Do you entertain friends and family at home? Do these activities require special preparation? Do you serve food or snacks? What kind? Do friends or relatives stay overnight at your home?
• Are you a quiet person or do you like a lot of activity? What social activities do you participate in? What are your hobbies?
• What entertainment do you prefer? Reading? TV? Movies? Plays? Cultural events? Sports? Concerts?
• What kind of music do you like? Classical? Ethnic? Country western? Blues? Jazz? Rock and roll? Spirituals?
• What do you watch on TV? New? Sports? Soap operas? Movies? Comedies? Dramas? Biography? Public television stations?

Housekeeping

• Do you prefer your house to be neat, everything in its place or can you stand it to be a little untidy?
• Do you have a regular schedule for housecleaning and laundry? Do you prefer tasks done a certain way? Do you prefer certain cleaning products?
• Do you supervise your PAs while they clean or do laundry?

Everyone has likes and dislikes - things they prefer over others. What are yours? You will be able to use them in your description of yourself and to assist you in giving direction to your PA. Following are some areas where you might have preferences. You can make your own list.

Food

• Do you like to eat at regular times? Do you eat out? How often?
• What kinds of food do you prefer? A variety? Vegetarian? Meat? Seafood? Poultry? Pastas? Rice? Ethnic foods - what kind? Fresh, frozen, canned? Dairy products?
• Do your PAs eat with you? Do you provide them with food? Snacks? Drinks?

Grooming

• Do you have a regular schedule for bathing, hair washing, and nail care? Do you have products that you prefer to use?
• What aspects of your appearance are important to you? Personal grooming (hair, makeup, etc.)? Clothes, shoes, accessories cleaned and pressed? Looking well groomed for school/work?
• Will you allow PAs to use your personal items such as hair dryers, hand lotion, etc.?

Habits/Lifestyle

• Do you smoke or drink? Do you prefer that PAs not smoke or drink in your home?
• What is your daily schedule? When do you go to work/school/therapy or other activities? What time do you get up and go to bed? Is your schedule different on weekends?
• Do you visit with friends or family? Do you entertain friends and family at home? Do these activities require special preparation? Do you serve food or snacks? What kind? Do friends or relatives stay overnight at your home?
• Are you a quiet person or do you like a lot of activity? What social activities do you participate in? What are your hobbies?
• What entertainment do you prefer? Reading? TV? Movies? Plays? Cultural events? Sports? Concerts?
• What kind of music do you like? Classical? Ethnic? Country western? Blues? Jazz? Rock and roll? Spirituals?
• What do you watch on TV? New? Sports? Soap operas? Movies? Comedies? Dramas? Biography? Public television stations?

Housekeeping

• Do you prefer your house to be neat, everything in its place or can you stand it to be a little untidy?
• Do you have a regular schedule for housecleaning and laundry? Do you prefer tasks done a certain way? Do you prefer certain cleaning products?
• Do you supervise your PAs while they clean or do laundry?

Assistive technologies are tools that help a person do a physical task. These can be very simple "low tech" items or highly sophisticated "high tech" items. New technologies are always emerging. Here are some examples in each category.

Mobility

• Wheelchairs, canes, walkers, scooters
• Lifting mechanisms for the home
• Lifts on cars and public vehicles
• Computer controls that do not need finger movement
• Software that uses speech commands, devices that respond to speech, Rubber stamp signatures.

Seeing

• Specialized eyeglasses, magnifiers
• Systems that convert text to speech, Braille and other tactile forms of receiving or recording information
• Cassette players, books on tape, screen reader or voice output for a computer

Hearing

• Telephones that work with hearing aids; teletypewriters (TTY), by which users send and receive text messages over phone lines
• Visual signaling for fire alarms
• Captioning of video, closed captioned TV programs
• Sound amplification systems, telephone amplifiers
• Sign language interpreter

Learning and remembering

• Portable systems that organize personal information and gives prompts by means of lists, graphs, and word or communication boards
• Grammar-checking and word-completion software
• Wandering detector

Smell/Touch

• Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors
• Furniture with extra padding to protect the skin.

Speech

• Speech synthesizers that convert typed input into speech.

Assistive Devices

• Assistive devices also can be considered assistive technology. The following items are arranged by areas of use. These items are different from those listed above. Some are for comfort and health. Others allow you to do certain tasks independently.

Bedroom

• Special cushions and mattress pads: foam or egg crate, air filled, fluid or gel filled, water bed, low air loss mattress, alternating pressure mattress
• Portable commode chair for bedside toileting, toilet or portable commode
• Transfer board for independent or assisted transfer from bed to wheelchair
• Mechanical or electric lift chair for help getting up from a chair

Bathroom

• Raised toilet seat to assist a person who has difficulty getting up or down, toilet frame - fits over the toilet and provides supports on either side for getting up or down
• Grab bars for tub and shower
• Safety mat and strips to prevent slipping
• Bath bench for someone who has difficulty sitting down or getting up from bottom of tub

Eating Aids

• Swivel spoons for those with trouble with wrist movement
• Cylindrical foam that enlarges gripping surfaces so utensils can be lifted more easily
• Plate guards or high-sided dishes that make it easier to scoop food onto a spoon
• Food warming dishes for slow eaters
• Mugs with two handles, covers, spouts and suction bases

Dressing Aids

• Button hooks that make buttoning clothes easy, dressing sticks that make it possible to dress without bending
• Shoe horns that are long enough to eliminate the need to bend over when putting on shoes
• Sock aids that keep stockings open while they are being put on

Devices for Summoning Help

• Touch-tone phones with speed dials
• Medical security response systems
• Beeper for the caregiver