It's nice to know a little about the staff when a loved one moves into an assisted living facility. These people will be interacting with your loved on each and every day. The tone for the entire facility is set by their attitude, demeanor and competency. That's why it's so important to have a quality team on staff.
The following are positions that many assisted living facilities have: director of nursing, medicine technicians, caregivers, activities director and activities leader, receptionist, accountant, housekeepers, maintenance personnel, wait staff, cooks, dining service staff, marketing staff, and executive director. The ultimate responsibility of seeing that the facility meets the needs of its residents and the state requirements belongs to the executive director.
The competence of the staff member is essential. They need adequate preparation for their job. Each state has different laws governing assisted living. You will need to go to your specific state website to determine the level of training required in your state.
Each person must be trained for the position they hold. When you tour a facility, you might ask about the training that the employees receive. Some of the areas that are common to all positions include emergency evacuation training, how to respond in an emergency, how to treat residents with consideration and respect.
It's important that the staff have a genuine affection for seniors. If an employee does have this quality, it will eventually become evident to the residents and guests. The only position I have seen that does not often interact with the residents is the kitchen staff. Everyone else will have the opportunity to talk with residents on a regular basis.
Patience is a valued resource for a staff member. The the rise of dementia and Alzheimer's in our senior population, it is often necessary to repeat oneself. Even those seniors with dementia are aware when a staff member is being impatient with them.
Attention to detail is a requirement for many of the positions. An example of that would be the medicine technician, who is responsible for storing many prescription and over the counter medications. These med techs also often have the responsibility of reminding residents to take their medications as prescribed by their doctors. Even a small mistake on their part could have dire consequences.
The person who plans and leads the activities at an assisted living facility must have a good knowledge of the residents' capabilities. Activities, outings, games and entertainment should be planned to engage the seniors at their own level of abilities. Many activities involve the residents with the local community.
An essential ingredient for any staff member is a real desire to help seniors. Working in the senior care business has a lot of rewards, but only for a person who truly enjoys helping others. There are some, however, who end up working in assisted living when they were looking for just any job. If they don't have an understanding of the aging process and a genuine desire to help seniors, their attitude will undoubtedly show in their performance.
The following are positions that many assisted living facilities have: director of nursing, medicine technicians, caregivers, activities director and activities leader, receptionist, accountant, housekeepers, maintenance personnel, wait staff, cooks, dining service staff, marketing staff, and executive director. The ultimate responsibility of seeing that the facility meets the needs of its residents and the state requirements belongs to the executive director.
The competence of the staff member is essential. They need adequate preparation for their job. Each state has different laws governing assisted living. You will need to go to your specific state website to determine the level of training required in your state.
Each person must be trained for the position they hold. When you tour a facility, you might ask about the training that the employees receive. Some of the areas that are common to all positions include emergency evacuation training, how to respond in an emergency, how to treat residents with consideration and respect.
It's important that the staff have a genuine affection for seniors. If an employee does have this quality, it will eventually become evident to the residents and guests. The only position I have seen that does not often interact with the residents is the kitchen staff. Everyone else will have the opportunity to talk with residents on a regular basis.
Patience is a valued resource for a staff member. The the rise of dementia and Alzheimer's in our senior population, it is often necessary to repeat oneself. Even those seniors with dementia are aware when a staff member is being impatient with them.
Attention to detail is a requirement for many of the positions. An example of that would be the medicine technician, who is responsible for storing many prescription and over the counter medications. These med techs also often have the responsibility of reminding residents to take their medications as prescribed by their doctors. Even a small mistake on their part could have dire consequences.
The person who plans and leads the activities at an assisted living facility must have a good knowledge of the residents' capabilities. Activities, outings, games and entertainment should be planned to engage the seniors at their own level of abilities. Many activities involve the residents with the local community.
An essential ingredient for any staff member is a real desire to help seniors. Working in the senior care business has a lot of rewards, but only for a person who truly enjoys helping others. There are some, however, who end up working in assisted living when they were looking for just any job. If they don't have an understanding of the aging process and a genuine desire to help seniors, their attitude will undoubtedly show in their performance.
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There are many assisted living facilities in California to choose from. It's also a good idea to get some idea what the costs of assisted living facilities in California are prior to visiting the assisted living facility.
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