Activity Manager

The following statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed and are not intended to be a complete list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required.

SUMMARY
The Activity Director provides an ongoing program of activities designed to meet the interest and physical, mental, and psychosocial well being of each patient.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES
• Supervises activities provided by activity assistant, activity aides, CNAs, restorative aides, volunteers and others for whom they are administratively or professionally responsible.
• Carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the organizational policies and applicable laws.
• An activity director is responsible for directing the development, implementation, supervision and ongoing evaluation of the activities program. This includes the completion and/or directing/delegating the completion of the activities component of the comprehensive assessment; and contributing to and/or directing/delegating the contribution to the comprehensive care plan goals and approaches that are individualized to match the skills, abilities, and interests/preferences of each resident.
• Directing the activity program includes scheduling of activities, both individual and groups, implementing and/or delegating the implementation of the programs, monitoring the response and/or reviewing/evaluating the response to the programs to determine if the activities meet the assessed needs of the resident, and making revisions as necessary.
• Uses independent judgement and discretion on behalf of the organization in the performance of these duties.

QUALIFICATIONS
Minimum Qualifications
• Working knowledge of personal computer and software applications used in job functions, (word processing, graphics, databases, spreadsheets, etc.)
• Able to supervise, instructs and motivates others.
• Strong organizational and analytical skills; oral and written communication skills.
• Demonstrates ability to utilize independent and effective clinical judgement, problem solving and decision -making skills.
• Utilizes effective time management skills.

Education and/or Experience
• Has 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 has completed a training program approved by the state or is a qualified occupational therapist or occupational therapy assistant.

Certificates, License, Registrations:
• Certification as a Therapeutic Recreation Specialist is desirable.

LANGUAGE SKILLS
Ability to read, analyzes, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures or governmental regulations. Ability to write business correspondence. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of executive, managers, clients, customers and the public. Computer use may be required.

MATHEMATICAL SKILLS
Ability to work with mathematical concepts such as statistical process control tools and budgets. Ability to apply concepts such as fractions, percentages, ratios, and proportions to practical situations.

REASONING ABILITY
Ability to define and solve problems collects data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions. Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in statistical or diagram form and deal with several abstract and concrete variables.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
• Completes assessments, MDS, care plans and gathers information to design activities that are multi-faceted, meets patients' functional levels, and reflects needs and interests of each patient.
• Through activities, provides stimulation or solace, promotes physical, cognitive and/or emotional health.
• Offers activities that enhance, to the extent practicable, each resident's physical and mental status.
• Promotes each resident's self-respect by providing activities that support self-expression and choice.
• Offers activities that involve facility staff, volunteers and visitors.
• Provides patients who are confined or choose to remain in their rooms with in- room activities in keeping with life-long interest (music, reading, visits with individuals who share their interests or reasonable attempts to connect the patient with such individuals) and in-room projects they can work on independently.
• Informs patients when activities are occurring: encourage patients involvement in activities.
• Assists with escorting patients to and from activities.
• Maintains sufficient activity supplies
• Interviews patients, interested family members, legal representatives and significant others to obtain and update information needed to develop individualized activities programs, to accommodate individual needs and preferences and to protect and promote patients' rights.
• Attends care conferences with members of the interdisciplinary team to develop, implement and evaluate plans of care.
• Communicates patient's concerns and responses to interventions to interdisciplinary team members and to direct care staff.
• Develops and provides individual, group and bedside activities that reflect the needs and interest of patients.
• Identifies ways to accommodate patient choices, preferences, functional capacity and customary routines in activities. Includes these approaches in plan of care and gives this information to direct care staff.
• Develops and implements effective procedures to ensure that all patients are informed that activities are occurring, that staff encourages participation, that transportation is provided and activities occur as planned.
• Posts monthly activities calendars that:
• Reflects the schedules, choices and rights of the patients.
• Offers activities at hours convenient to the patients.
• Reflects the cultural and religious interests of the patient population.
• Appeals to both men and women and all age groups living in the facility.
• Record progress notes in the clinical record that include subjective findings, objective symptoms, observations of behavior, interventions provided to patient and patient's responses to activity interventions. Reviews chart entries written by activities staff for completeness and accuracy.
• Performs daily rounds, observations of activities in progress, record reviews and interviews with staff members, patients, families and Administration.
• Participates in the development of the department budget. Provides relevant financial information to Administrator regarding department financial needs and status.
• Develops staffing plan and recommends to Administrator numbers and types of activities personnel needed to meet patient needs in compliance with state and federal regulations.
• Actively participates in long term care survey process and works with Administrator to develop responses to survey report as needed.
• Participates in facility committees as required.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS
The physical demands described here represent 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 frequently required to stand, walk, use hands or fingers reach with hands and arms; and talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to sit, climb or balance and stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl. The employee on occasion will assist to lift and/or transfer patients weighing between 100 to 250 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision and peripheral vision.

WORK ENVIRONMENT
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing 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 exposed to fumes or airborne particles and toxic or caustic chemicals. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.