Purpose of the Position
The purpose of the Activity Assistant is to promote and maintain resident’s physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual potential through a variety of individual and group, social and recreational activities at the Sauk County Health Care Center.
Job Duties and Responsibilities
- Guide and engage residents in group and individual activities at appropriate level.
- Instruct and assign duties to volunteers and staff involved in the activities.
- Assess and monitor appropriate activity level for residents.
- Assist in developing a monthly activity calendar.
- Operate a bus for outings, trishaw bikes, and whisper slide.
- Plan and prepare for activity sessions by obtaining materials and set up and clean up.
- Prepare resident assessments, progress notes, and attendance so that individual care plans can be discussed and reported in meetings.
- Assist residents with phone and video calls.
- Assist with pet therapy as pets are available.
- Stand in for the Activity Director when necessary
- Assist with maintaining outdoor garden areas such as planting, watering, and light weeding.
- Assist with weekly aviary and fish tanks care.
- Cook and bake basic foods.
- And other duties as assigned.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
- Advisory data and information such as interdisciplinary plans, resident ability assessments, discharge summaries, activity resource magazines, cookbooks, exercise manuals, vendor catalogues, various manuals, vehicle maintenance reports, work order requests, procedures, guidelines, and routine and non-routine correspondence.
- Communicate verbally and in writing with residents, Department personnel, residents’ families, visitors, school personnel, and state survey team members.
- By directing, teaching, counseling, mediating, convincing and persuading others.
- Explain, demonstrate, and clarify to others established policies, procedures, and standards.
- “Person Centered Care” philosophy.
- “Music and Memory” program and related iPod usage or iPad.
- Adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing, and calculating percentages, fractions, and decimals.
- Maintain all relevant certifications.
- Compare, count, differentiate, measure, sort, classify, compute, tabulate, and/or categorize data and/or information.
- Assemble, copy, record, and transcribe data and/or information.
- Analyze data and information using established criteria to define consequences and consider and select alternatives.
- Apply functional and situational reasoning by exercising judgement, decisiveness, and creativity in everyday routine and non-routine situations.
- Use fine and gross motor skills to perform tasks such as operating a Television set, DVD player, Wii System, iPod, cooking utensils, wheelchair lift, and exercise equipment.
- Exert effort in light to moderate activity, such as lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling, stooping, crouching, crawling, climbing, balancing, and standing for long periods of time.
- Recognize and identify degrees of similarity and differences between characteristics of colors, forms, sounds, odors, textures, etc. associated with objects, materials, and ingredients.
Environment
- Occasionally unsafe and uncomfortable in respects to temperature variations, odors, toxic agents, noise, and disease.
Required Working Hours
Standard working hours are Monday through Friday between 9:00am until 7:30pm. Every other weekend of the month is required in addition to occasional weekend events and outings (Easter Egg Hunt & Safe Halloween events are mandatory). Please note these hours are subject to change and additional hours may be needed or required. Compensation for additional hours beyond normal working hours are subject to applicable state and federal regulations.
Education and Experience Requirements
Required: High School diploma or equivalent
Become CPR certified within 6 months of employment
Must obtain Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) License within 6 months of employment.
License/Certification: Valid Wisconsin State Motor Vehicle Operator’s License
Preferred: 1 year of experience working with the elderly
Any combination of education and experience that provides equivalent knowledge, skills and abilities may be considered.