I walk differently...

Because my body - especially my arms - is weak, I need help with everything necessary for everyday life: dressing, assistance with personal hygiene (for example showering), preparing meals, accompanying me outside, domestic tasks such as cleaning or laundry, transfers and positioning, that is, physically assisting me - for example helping me sit properly, getting me into bed, or turning me at night. Simply put, it includes everything a walking person does without really thinking about it. Personal assistants act as my hands and legs. They do for me what I would normally do myself if I could, but cannot because of physical limitations. These are the things I need in order to live.

In most cases the work is not about spending time chatting with me or keeping me company - I manage that quite well. What I mainly need is practical help that allows me to function in everyday life. You learn the tasks gradually, which is why the first shifts are relatively simple. During night shifts the assistant normally sleeps, but about once during the night they come to turn me to the other side. They also keep their phone on in case I urgently need something.

I prefer long-term cooperation in personal assistance, but the time you dedicate to it is very flexible. You decide how often and how long you would like to assist (of course in agreement with me and depending on availability in the assistance calendar). You choose your shifts according to your own availability and willingness - no one is forced into anything. However, it is important to inform me in advance if you are unavailable so that I can make other arrangements.

The specific time - both the length of the shift and the date - may vary each time. The assistance calendar is available on the website, where you will always see your scheduled shifts. Please note that shifts always overlap by about 15 minutes, which are not shown in the calendar. This time allows for a smooth handover between assistants. Assistants usually work at least 1-2 times per month and at most 3-4 times per week. A shift is never shorter than 4 hours (during the day typically 4-6 hours) and never longer than 12 hours (night shifts usually 10-12 hours). Of course it also depends on whether we get along well and what my needs are. The first shifts always take place during the day so that we have time to get to know each other.

The payment for assistance is 150 CZK per hour (approximately 6.22 € per hour). It is not a particularly high amount. However, since I live completely alone without support from relatives and require assistance 24 hours a day, it still represents a very large expense. I pay for 21 hours per day, 7 days a week (3 hours at night are unpaid), so I simply cannot afford to pay more. Some people even assist me on a voluntary basis to help make this possible. Whether someone chooses to treat this as paid work or volunteering is entirely up to them - in both cases the tasks and responsibilities remain the same.

For newly trained assistants, I pay half the rate for the first 25 hours, that is 75 CZK per hour (about 3.11 € per hour). During this time the expectation is that basic skills will be learned sufficiently to perform the tasks independently. Each month I must wait until the payment from the Slovak Social Insurance Office arrives based on submitted reports. I therefore transfer payment to your account by the 10th day of the following month for the previous month (for example, payment for April is sent by May 10). Please respect this arrangement and do not request earlier payment.