GENERAL JOB DESCRIPTION                                                                                                 

Providing care and support to older adults with dementia in a day program setting.

 QUALIFICATIONS                                                                                                                       

Required:

• Valid Michigan driver’s license.

Other:

• Six months related work experience with senior adults who have cognitive, memory, and/or physical impairments preferred.
• Experience providing personal care and/or therapeutic activities preferred.
• Successful completion of Agency dementia training within the probationary period.
• Interpersonal skills sufficient to communicate with participants, public and staff.
• Reading skills sufficient to follow written instructions and writing skills sufficient to maintain logs and schedules.
• Interpersonal skills sufficient to communicate with public and co-workers, which may include older adults and individuals with physical and/or mental impairments.
• Six months to one-year related driving experience; background with 20 foot or larger buses preferred.
• Driving record must meet safe driving standards as established by Agency insurance carrier.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES                                                                                     

•  Develop an effective working relationship with each participant based upon knowledge of each participant’s psychosocial and physical health assessment.
• Help develop and monitor participants’ care plans.
• With input from professional staff, lead activity groups.
• Provide one-to-one support to participants when indicated.
• Assist participants with personal care, including toileting, hygiene, grooming, and bathing when applicable. Provide assistance in transferring individuals with physical impairments.
• Ensure safety of participants by monitoring their health status, behavior, and immediate environment.
• Accompany participants on outings to community sites.
• Assist with cleaning program areas as needed to maintain a sanitary environment, avoid risk to participants and enhance program operation.
• Prepare food for participants’ breakfast, lunch and afternoon snack.
• Transport designated passengers in SMART vehicle according to assigned routes and schedules.
• Ensure that transportation safety requirements are met.
• Ensure that all required vehicle maintenance is carried out on a timely basis, by checking and maintaining minor items and requesting/scheduling more extensive service. Clean the vehicle interior as needed.
• Attend technical/driving-related and program-related seminar(s) as necessary.
• Assist passengers on and off vehicle to ensure their safety, providing door-through-door escort as needed.
• Maintain trip records.
• Serve on Agency committee(s) as appointed.

Supplemental Duties:

• Provide supportive intervention to family caregivers, as requested.

  WORKING CONDITIONS                                                                                                           

Environmental conditions:

• Moderate noise (i.e., business office with computers, phone, and printers, light traffic).
• Ability to work in a confined area.
• Ability to sit at a computer terminal for an extended period.

Physical requirements:

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to, stand, sit; talk, hear, and use hands and fingers to operate a computer and telephone keyboard, reach, stoop, kneel to install computer equipment.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision requirements due to computer work.
• Work involves physical assistance (i.e., transfers and mobility) of participants with weights averaging 130 pounds.

Accommodation(s):

As appropriate and fiscally reasonable.

 NON-EXEMPT                                                                                                                             

This position is non-exempt and eligible for overtime pay in accordance with the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act.