Your Employees Should Be Begging To Do This

This afternoon I had the pleasure of delivering an impressive Valentine's Day arrangement to a resident. She had been quietly enjoying her Saturday, which consisted mostly of sitting in her recliner watching television and waiting for dinner. Suddenly, though, I popped around the corner holding a lovely bouquet from the local florist. It was an event, and one we both enjoyed.

I work with a great Director who sometimes laments that she misses the days when she was able to work more directly with the residents. You've heard your managers voice similar concerns, reflecting on their former roles in direct care positions and supervisory roles. As a department leader or Administrator in a CCRC setting though, these daily opportunities are rarely included in your job description. You must seek them out; they probably won't just come to you. Even as a leader, as a manager, as a Director, you must connect with the residents you serve. Especially as a leader.

So I grab these flowers from the reception desk as I scoot in this morning. Sure, they probably already called down to the nurses station when the flowers arrived, and someone on the other end said they'd be down when they had a moment. I may even pass them on the way down. But c'mon, this is no chore! I'm heading that way anyways, so I'll just take those flowers, Nancy!

Read the rest of this blog here:  http://nursinghomeguy.blogspot.com/2010/02/your-employees-should-be-begging-to-do.html

The Social Service Designee

This week, we continue our look at career options for students of our classes, we're taking a closer look at the Social Service Designee class this week.

Social Service Designees work to make sure that the social, spiritual, and emotional needs of long term care residents are being met. In a large facility with a social worker on staff, the Social Service Designee will assist the social worker. In a small facility the Social Service Designee may fill all the social work roles. The first
priority of the SSD is to do an assessment of incoming residents, and to work with residents and their families to develop a plan of care for each resident. SSDs also work as advocates for residents, especially when cognitive or emotional issues prevent residents from representing themselves.

SSDs learn to apply the principles of "person centered care", and need to understand the aging process and the cognitive and physical issues that long-term care residents can face. An SSD's work also involves budgeting, staff management, admission and discharge processes, and a great deal of interaction with families, residents, staff, and social service agencies. SSDs need to have good time management skills, be comfortable working with people, and know how to balance compassion with efficiency.

The WeCareOnline Social Service Designee class is currently available in 13 states, and more are coming soon. Students have four weeks to complete the class, and must accomplish 45 hours of work in that time.
Since the class is available 24/7, many students finish before the four weeks are up, and all appreciate being able to study on their own schedule. The class consists of four units which cover the basics of person-centered care, the aging process, cognitive issues, and psychosocial needs. The class also covers the business end of an SSD's job. In four weeks or less, students are ready with the skills they need to work as a facility's Social Service Designee. There is no other required training or certification needed to work in the states
where this class is approved.

Job prospects for Social Service Designees are excellent and the US Department of Labor reports that this is a field that is growing much faster than average. They anticipate 20% or more growth in this field between now and 2018. Need for long term care is also on the rise as Americans are living longer and often need managed care in their later years. If you love working with people, and enjoy the challenge of assessing needs and working to fulfill those needs, this is the career for you.

The Activity Director

This is the first of an ongoing series that explores the career options for students of our classes. To begin, we'll take a closer look at the Activity Director class.

Activity Directors are the people who plan group and solo activities for residents of nursing homes and long term care facilities. State licensing requirements for nursing homes almost always require a facility to have an Activity Director on staff, or at least available to the residents part-time. An Activity Director must be able to plan and run a variety of activities that will appeal to residents of all ages and cognitive/physical abilities--no easy task! He or she must also be able to budget, direct staff, and coordinate events both inside and outside of a facility. The job requires skills in many areas, but most of all, a person must truly love working with people.

The WeCareOnline Activity Director class is currently available in nine states, and more are coming soon. Students have four weeks to complete the class, and must accomplish 45 hours of work in that time. Since the class is available 24/7, many students finish before the four weeks are up, and all appreciate being able to study on their own schedule. The class consists of four units which cover the basics of person-centered care, the aging process, cognitive issues, and psychosocial needs. The class also covers the business end of an Activity Director's job, and students learn how to work with facility budgets, how to manage internal and external resources, and how to plan and provide activities to best meet the residents' needs. In four weeks or less, students are ready with the skills they need to work as a facility's Activity Director. There is no other required training or certification needed to work in the states where this class is approved.

Job prospects for Activity Directors are good, and the US Department of Labor reports that this is a field that's growing faster than average. They anticipate 14-19% growth in this field between now and 2018. Need for long term care is also on the rise as Americans are living longer and often need managed care in their later years. If you love working with people, and enjoy the challenge of planning activities to meet a diverse set of needs, this is the career for you.

WeCareOnlineClasses.com