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Nose for News by Sarah Stultz

I had no idea the challenges we would face in the months since we began searching for a PCA for my son a year ago, but here we are more than a year later — halfway through a second summer — and we’re still wrapping up final loose ends to have our PCA start hopefully in the next week (fingers crossed).

For months, the struggle was simply finding someone who would be a good fit for Landon, who has a developmental disability and epilepsy and who needs a little extra attention and supervision.

Finding child care itself is a challenge in today’s age, but I’d dare say that finding care for a special needs child is even more difficult.

When school was in session, it wasn’t as bad without child care. I’d work in the office until school got out and then go pick him up and finish my work afternoon from home while getting him settled in. It was difficult as I tried to juggle my responsibilities at work with my duties as a mom, but it could have been worse.

My husband works a job that involves physical labor, so he unfortunately, he hasn’t had the luxury of working from home.

In April, we doubled down on our efforts to find a PCA before school got out in hopes of finding someone, getting them lined up and through the paperwork and approved once the summer began.

But here we are, with a little more than a month to go until school starts again, and the process still continues.

Thankfully, I have the type of job that allows me to work from home at times when I’m not needed covering in-person events, but it has been a struggle.

If I’ve interviewed you over the phone while I’m working from home, you more than likely might have heard Landon in the background, and you might have even heard his requests to say“hi.”

Many of you have been kind enough to take a minute and say a quick hello before we moved on with the interview. You see, Landon loves talking on the phone, and every time I’m on the phone, he wants to say hi to whoever I’m talking to. Thank you for your kindness.

Thank you for your patience with me — for accommodating more interviews over the phone than in-person, and for sometimes accommodating early evening or even weekend interviews when I have backup and my husband is home from work.

Thank you also to my co-workers who have never said one word of complaint when I’ve had to bring Landon to the office, though I know sometimes he can be loud or interrupt your work.

Thank you also to those close friends who have watched him when things did come up that I had to be somewhere in-person.

It definitely hasn’t been ideal, but I’m grateful for those of you who have helped make it more tolerable.

If you’ve ever thought about being a PCA for a special needs child, please consider doing so. The shortage, like with many other professions, is big.

While these kiddos may have a few extra needs, they have big hearts.

Sarah Stultz is the managing editor of the Tribune. Her column appears on Wednesdays.