Life Enrichment Structure

Tue, 7 Aug 2018 22:00:27 GMT

How does your community structure its Life Enrichment Department, if you have one? Do you have separate Life Enrichment teams for independent living and health services? If so, would you mind sharing your structure and job description, as well as the type of people that fill these roles? Thank you!

Thu, 16 Aug 2018 16:28:10 GMT

We have a life enrichment team of three who support residents in the higher levels. We do not have anyone assigned to independent living. Many times we look to employ recreational therapist for this role. Attached is the job description.

Thu, 16 Aug 2018 16:28:32 GMT

We have a Resident Life Department which deals primarily with IL Residents. They are made up of 3 staff and many contractors that teach classes, perform entertainment, etc. We also have an Activities Department which handles activities in HC and SNF. They are made up of 4 staff and various other contractors (entertainers, musicians, etc).

Thu, 16 Aug 2018 16:29:01 GMT

We have the following in our life enrichment department under the Director of Life Enrichment:

Healthcenter/skilled nursing/assisted living

1 Dementia care coordinator and volunteer coordinator
1 Life enrichment manager
1 Life enrichment coordinator

Independent living
2 life enrichment coordinators

We typically hire recent college grads with a minor or major in gerontology, aging services, therapy or fitness into these departments. We have transferred some from our dining services department. The other was a previous intern with us. Our fitness center is also a part of the life enrichment team but our Fitness Manager reports directly to the Director of Health and Wellness not to the life enrichment director. They assist with activities on the fitness side with LE, IL and AL. They also work closely with our therapy department. I hope this helps.

Thu, 16 Aug 2018 16:29:18 GMT

We in essence have three Life Enrichment groups. Due to regulatory requirements being different, we have different programs in our health center (110 beds) and A/L (soon to be 60 beds). The HC team is made up of two LE associates, and we have one in the A/L (for now). We have two LE associates in IL.

Thu, 16 Aug 2018 16:33:41 GMT

How does your community structure its Life Enrichment Department, if you have one?

I was hired as the Life Enrichment Director in June of 2017. My core philosophy and background knowledge are in the areas of Curriculum Instruction/Facilitation and School Administration. I have coached team members my entire career to develop new strategies and out of the box thinking. When I put together our infrastructure and communication/job role binder, I looked at the structure of Masterpiece Living’s 4 components of Successful Aging and married that with my prior knowledge regarding multi-sensory approaches to teaching and learning communities. Our community nestled in the middle of many colleges and our residents were former CEO’s and professors. We all need to keep them engaged! The areas I feel are most important our overall success include: sharing clear expectations; reviewing the interpretation of job descriptions and monitoring what I ‘d like to see change; collaboratively creating our annual goals and new evaluation tool, making team members accountable and outlining company policies; expecting 100% compliance on Relias Courses (which is our in-house and ongoing education), providing high quality materials, entertainment, and daily activities; excellent customer service, and communicating effectively to residents using differentiated avenues.

Do you have separate Life Enrichment teams for independent living and health services?

Pls see attachment regarding my Life Enrichment Dept (LE) organizational chart that covers all three levels of care.

If so, would you mind sharing your structure and job description, as well as the type of people that fill these roles?

I have attached the LE Director’s job description. We are still in the process of revising the other roles due to recently moving into our Healthcare Center last July and working out the kinks of the Household Model. Very holistic approach to person centered care. We do not have separate LE teams, rather individuals that specialize in these particular areas. Our employees have tenure and are seasoned professionals. My team also leads the Household Model that encompasses (Eg. Dining, Housekeeping, CNA team members) in that customized neighborhood.