Therapeutic Activity Director in Dementia Special Care Unit

Job Purpose: This role oversees person-centered, cognitive, and social programming designed to support residents with Alzheimer’s and related dementias.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

· Developing and implementing the therapeutic activity program individualized for each DSCU resident.

· Planning and scheduling therapeutic activities and events.

· Design and implement individualized therapeutic activity programs tailored to each resident's cognitive stage, physical ability, personal history, and care plan.

· Posting in a conspicuous place a monthly calendar of activities and events.

· Contributing to each resident’s comprehensive assessment and plan of care.

· Providing sufficient oversight of the activity personnel.

· Work closely with nursing, social services, dietary, and rehabilitation teams to support resident well-being and behavioral safety.

· Hands-on collaboration with staff and families to ensure appropriate implementation of care plans.

· Coordinate support groups as needed (resident, family, etc.)

· Represent C-WV in the community participating in presentations, education, events, marketing, etc. as needed.

· Function as a liaison with outside affiliations.

· Maintain up-to-date documentation and logs to prepare for state department of public health inspections.

· Assisting as necessary with other DSCU services.

· Lead, schedule, and manage activity assistants and volunteers who support daily memory-care engagement.

· Participate in the budget process by presenting staffing levels and metrics, equipment, supplies and programming.

· Conducts 8 hour dementia training for employees during bi-weekly orientation, and provides annual education for required 4 hours of in servicing.

· Committed to working with residents and families to develop and implement strategies that promote person-centered care.

· Applies “5 Star” customer service approach in all aspects of job.

· Adheres to all company policies, procedures, and standards of conduct.

· Reports to the appropriate managers any known or suspected violations of policy and procedures, regulations or standards of conduct.

· Attends required in-services and training.

· Performs additional duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

· Certified as a therapeutic recreation specialist or as an activity professional by an accrediting body recognized by the Department;

· Minimum of two years of experience in a social or recreational program within the last five years, one of which was full-time in a resident activities program in a health care setting; or

· Qualified occupational therapist or occupational therapy assistant.

· BS in Therapeutic Recreation preferred

· Flexibility and work varied hours which may include evenings, nights, weekends and holidays.

· Minimum of 2 years working on a Dementia Care Unit

· CPR

· Strong leadership skills

· Familiarity with root cause analysis and problem solving

· Ability to educate staff and provided annual training on Alzheimer’s disease and Dementia.

Supervision of Others: Activity Assistants

Americans With Disability Specifications

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools or controls; reach with hands and arms; climb stairs; balance; stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl; talk or hear; taste or smell. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

Work Environment

Work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is not exposed to weather conditions.

The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.