DeniseRieser

I would be very wary of this volunteer. My administrator would never let someone in here with this background. Our population is so vulnerable and I cerainly wouldn't have her do anything like a cart where she is unsupervised. Knowing how things go here, the only thing I would have her do is games with the residents or calling bingo....if she is able to do these. The thing about volunteers is that they have to fit, too. If it causes you too much angst and you are always looking over yourshoulder then don't "hire" her. A volunteer is treated by the state the same way as a worker. We have to orient and train them and now we are doing background checks on all our volunteers as well. We have been having lots of issues with stealing with our workers so I wouldn't set myself up with this kind of situation. If you pass on her there will always be another who comes along. Stay positive!

Hello, I have lots of puzzles and needlepoint canvases/cruel, too but in our AL there really isn't anyone who has good enough eyesight or fine motor co0ordination to do them. So I am looking for craft ideas that will utilize these "leftovers".

Hello, I have just passed my 1 year anniversary and I can't tell where the time went!! It has been a great job for me. I am at a small Assisted Living Residence in Rockland County, NY and I tell people that this has been my best job ever. I have people here who tell me how much they love me and respect me every week!! No other job have I ever had that... let alone my private life!! I find this job a good mix of all my background and best of all the days fly by. Currently I am searching for some resources to keep us challenging our gang of word lovers. Our group is especially good at making smaller words out of large ones. Does anyone have a book or a website that is good for finding new, multi-syllable words for Anagrams? I have been on the Anagram site but there isn't a list of just multi syllable words that are good for this. Also, I am having the first meeting here this afternoon for a Rockland County Association of Activity Professionals and I would like to get some organizational help from you all out there who are active in associations in your area. What committees do you have? What format do you follow in meetings? How do you conduct business? What is your dues...do you have them? So I am glad to be here and would love to hear from you all !! EsplanadeDenise

On Tuesday, September 12, 2006 there is an organizational meeting for the formation of the RCAAP. All interested in joining this organization should call Denise Rieser at 845 620-0606 ext. 116. It is my hope to get an active organization going in our area for support and fun!! Come and join us!

Hi, I go by Activities Director. Just a word of caution. The "Recreation Therapist" is a separate entity with different training behind it and this should not be used as a catch -all if you don't actually have that degree/certification! The word "Therapist" means a different thing than an aide or a director and though there are similarities in the jobs, a person trained as an 'Activities therapist' will usually have different goal priorities than an 'Activities Coordianator'/Director/Aide. Mostly, Activities Co-ordinator/director or Specialist is someone who provides programing but a 'Therapist' will usually be setting a specific "therapeutic goal" for the client and using the activities to attain that goal. For instance,a therapeutic goal might be to increase mobility with right arm where a person had a stroke and the activities used would be morning exercises , playing rhythm instruments and shaking hands with people. The Therapist would create activities to incorporate these goals for that client. The Activities Specialist has a more general goal like ""increased participation in musical activities. In my job I do much more coordinating than actual therapy eventhough I am trained as a Music Therapist, because of the nature of the population I have in an Assisted lIving facility. However, there are times I am able when I am on the floor to do some more intesive therapeutic intervention, for instance, with the more advanced Alzheimers, Dimentia resident or the residnet with mental difficulties. However, as the director, this is the least of my job and the bigger part is setting up the schedule, purchasing, doing secretarial work, managing Acitivity Aides. So I guess that I am saying that the population you are working with has a lot to do with the nature of your job and the goals you are setting. Thus, the job title should reflect that as well as the training behind the title. I do like the term Lifestyle Enhancement Coordinator but the old terms are tough to dispell. G0od Luck!