Having a back-up plan when your regular personal assistant cannot work is important. Emergencies do happen to workers. What kind of back-up plan you need depends upon your individual situation. For example, if you use personal assistant to get out of bed in the morning, you may want a more detailed back-up plan than someone who uses an assistant for home management.

It is a good idea to figure out who, what, when, where and how before you need the help. As a first step, consider your resources:

• Can you prioritize your needs or be flexible with times?
• Do you have family members or friends who are available to fill in?
• Do you know members of a church or fraternal organization who would be able and willing to help out in a pinch?

You may want to hire a personal assistant who will be the person you call for back-up. For example, you can use Maine PASA Connections to find someone who is interested in working as a back-up or on-call assistant.

Temporary use of agency workers is another option. The following organizations can help you find back-up workers. Your doctor’s office or hospital discharge planner may also be able to help.

• Maine Bureau of Elderly and Adult Services (BEAS) maintains a statewide list of agency providers of homecare services.
  http://www.maine.gov/dhs/beas/hcbook.htm
• Alpha One also has information about back-up staffing.
  http://www.alpha-one.org/
• Area Agency on Aging. Call Elders 1 at (877) 353-3771 (toll-free) to contact the Area Agency on Aging in your area or visit their website.
  http://www.maine.gov/dhs/beas/resource/aaa.htm