Teaching New Tasks

You need to be as patient and flexible as possible during the training period. Training time for new tasks or for training a new personal assistant (PA) your routine will vary. Training time will depend on the difficulty of tasks and how quickly the PA learns. Training time may be shorter if you have another PA demonstrate the more difficult tasks. Remember each person learns differently. Some may take longer than others to get your routine the way you want it. Training time can vary from a few hours to a couple of weeks.

If you have a complex routine that requires special attention to detail, you may want to have an experienced PA help you in training your new PA. One of the best methods to teach a new PA is by demonstration. It is more expensive to be paying for both PAs. The extra cost of this training might be handled by the following:

planning ahead - saving a little at a time for the training
arrange for a training wage that is lower than the regular rate
arrange for an unpaid training observation
have a family member or friend make a video tape of appropriate parts of your routine.

Here are some steps you can take when doing a simple demonstration or training a new PA.

Steps to simple training or demonstration
Three basic steps for training a new PA

Steps to simple training or demonstration

A description of the task in general terms.
An explanation of the steps of the task in detail.
A demonstration of the task (another PA, family member, friend or you)
A repetition of the demonstration.
The new PA performs the task step-by-step.
Praise for parts done well or correction of any mistakes using corrective feedback techniques.

Three basic steps for training a new PA

Step 1: The new PA observes you and a current PA.

Schedule new PAs to watch an experienced PA perform each part of your routine. This will save you enormous time and energy. You briefly will be paying two salaries during training. But the advantages make the extra cost worthwhile.

Choose the PA who has the personal qualities and work habits that you want the new PA to learn.
Try to schedule training sessions within the first seven to ten days so it will be easier for the new PA to remember the routines.

Step 2: The new PA performs with you and a current PA.

Have new PAs do the routine once for simpler tasks or twice for more complex tasks while the experienced PA stands by. The role of the experienced PA is to narrate what she is doing and how it is to be done. Your role is to fill in the parts that you uniquely understand, your preferences, or parts that the current PA may have omitted.

Be sure to allow adequate time for the completion of each part of your routine while the new PA is learning. The routine that may take an experienced PA two hours may take the new PA three to four hours. Avoid training on mornings where your schedule is tight.

Tip Be patient! New PAs who are struggling to learn the details of your routine are taking extra learning time because they are afraid of doing something wrong or hurting you; they want to learn to do things right and to please you. Give them a break!

Step 3: The new PA begins working with you alone.

Finish the training by having new PAs work with you alone. You can give the new PA occasional reminders as needed. Also give compliments for tasks done correctly. It gives the PA encouragement.

Be yourself and be pleasant. Think of your PA as a teammate who works not as much for you as with you.

Speak clearly and at a comfortable pace. Be sure the steps of your routine are designed to get all of your needs met while making the work as easy as possible for the PA.

Invite the PA to ask questions about anything that is not understood. Be consistent in your answers. Be sure the steps of a routine are done in order and in the way each is performed. Insist that the PA do the tasks correctly the first time. Tell the PA why your way is important. Do not allow PAs to perform a task the wrong way as that is the beginning of bad habits.

Pay attention to when your new PA has moved past the learning stage to knowing the routine well enough to perform on her own from memory. Continuing to provide step-by-step instructions at this point can create resentment. Of course, if she forgets a step in your routine it is okay to remind her. Your aim is not to scold, punish, or demonstrate your authority. Your aim is simply to remind your partner of a forgotten step so you can continue.

Training adapted from Caregivers and Personal Assistants (pp. 234-238), by Alfred H. Degraff, Saratoga Access Publications, Fort Collins, Colorardo. [Copyright Alfred H. Degraff, 2002]. http://www.saratoga-publications.com. Reprinted with permission.

Warning A word of caution, be sure that your PA understands what is to be done. Do not assume that the PA understands what you want until you actually have seen it done correctly. Just because your PA has been trained as a nurse's aid or has experience, do not assume he or she will know how to perform all of your personal care. Routines, supplies, medications or equipment that you've used for years may be new to your PA. Make sure that you give clear descriptions and directions. Your health and safety may depend on it. Also, you may like things done very differently than the way your PA was trained at a previous job. A PA who was trained by a nursing facility or even a home health agency may have been trained to perform tasks in certain ways acceptable to that organization, but may not be experienced with consumer direction.

Warning adapted from Personal Assistance Services Guide: A guide for hiring, management, and conflict resolution, © 1998. Center for Persons with Disabilities, Utah State University. Reprinted with permission.

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