quilterbcathy

out in the country near Visalia, CA - our facility is in Visalia - central CA

Robin, I had the same experience here. Cathy

Just wondering... have you addressed this subject in any past posts? I LOVE what I do, and my administrator says i have found my nitch. I hear other AD's saying they do their newsletters at home (for lack of computer, help, time, whatever), they wear many hats in addition to that of Activity Director (I do too), and that their family life is suffering (I've heard this from several people). I'd just like to say, please be careful! For one, it's too easy for our Administrators to take advantage of us, we see it as a calling, they have no clue so often that we work as hard or harder than many others in the facility. Two, if you have a family, please find a way to nurture that part of your life, if not, take care of yourself. We are no good to our residents if we are burning the candles at every end. My residents who are happiest for the most part are those whose families are close and loving. I have two girls still at home - one is about to graduate from HS in June and the other is almost 10 - a solid pre-teen - they still need nurturing and teaching. I come home many a night tired, tempted to carry work home, and there is someone who needs to talk, picked up from a friends, playing in a school concert, needing to sit down to dinner or even just learn how to do something new, like helping to cook dinner. I often get to bed late. Several nights ago I was going strong on this schedule, got on a chair to change the battery in the smoke detector (I didn't want to wake my husband as he had had several sleepless nights not feeling well, and had just gone to sleep). The detector was beeping in my youngest daughter's room...any way, fatigue and not thinking well, I replaced the battery but found a little plug with wires, struggling with it, I saw a spark and next thing I knew I was on the floor with my knee twisted the wrong way. Fortunately it appears to be just a bad sprain. When I called in to work the tone of my otherwise wonderful administrator was along the lines of "what were you thinking to be so careless as to do something that might cause an accident... My Administrator has been sick with something ever since I started. She is THE RN, THE MDS specialist, THE payroll person, THE administrator, etc... she has no family but is still not taking care of herself. So I don't take my work home. I get done what I can, when I am on the clock I give it my all. Our residents need us, but they need us healthy and whole and so do we. Maybe the newsletter won't get done. Maybe a volunteer will do it (so what if they can't do it as well?, life goes on). I can tell you right now, my Cinco de Mayo plans at the facility are probably not happening as I'd like. The tabletop cooking probably didn't happen, as I never made it to the grocery store, and if my 21 yr old volunteer stayed on, she likely didn't worry about it. Not much I could do about it. If this is killing your family life or your marriage, if you are working your butt off and the Administrator is treating you badly... we need to talk about it. We won't last long otherwise in the business. Just some thoughts. The pain meds must be kicking in. Cathy

Whoops. We are going on a walking downtown historic tour tomorrow with two high functioning, wheel chair dependent residents. It will be me (not CNA trained) and a family member of one of them. It should last about an hour and a half. No one said anything about a CNA for this. At least we are within walking distance... I wonder if this is why I am not sleeping... Cathy

Hi. I don't think you are being lame at all. I am still so new at it and overwhelmed with so many responsibilities that I haven't planned anything this year. My DON isn't worried a bit about it. We just got through state and we are all exhausted. Lately I am just concentrating on meeting my residents needs as best I can and keeping everything else as simple as possible. Maybe next year it will be a cookout and shindig, like you. And someday maybe it will be an awesome theme. Cathy

hi. We just had our survey here as well. We were all pretty nervous as all but one were new dept heads. I had care-planned everyone in the building, worked so hard over the last few weeks to get that done. I think they did give us some room as we were all new. In the resident council meeting a resident complained of something un-related to activities that evidently happened before I came, so I was asked for the past five months of minutes from the RC meetings. We were missing November but were not marked down for that, in fact there were no concerns brought up regarding activities. I don't know if our Eden program made a difference or not, but it seemed we were not scrutinized much in activities. That week I had scheduled some new things so it was quite a "swinging" place, but that certainly wasn't planned for state coming. Mostly just added to my being totally tired out at the end of the day and week... Our facility is small (45 beds) so I have been integrating the lower functioning right into the regular groups and calendaring them to include all (ie" Tabletop cooking/Sunshine sensory" - our people with sensory needs being included in the cooking group for touch, smell, companionship, taste, etc...it can get quite crowded!). It's the best I can do right now. My Asst is part time and disabled herself so I have to keep it simple. I almost wish state had looked a little more at us, not wishing for the scrutiny, mind you, but just because of how important we really are... I cannot imagine being so new that I had it so together that I would have escaped a more inquisitive bunch.... we came through with no deficiencies which is certainly fine with all of us! No questions about burn out, no checking my daily attendance. Maintenance was given a small ding for having a rubber foot missing from a small stool that was in a storage area... quite an odd ding to get... PS Haven't written much lately, just had my nose to the grindstone trying to take it one day at a time. Finally settling in, things are going well. Though since survey last week I am not sleeping well. Like now. Alot going on, good, just alot. Cathy

Hi! Like the Pat on the Back, we did a Garland of Gratitude, making a Garland of seasonal items with messages of gratitude to various employees and everyone in general. Then we posted it up for all to see. Now I am trying to throw in a monthly "Fun-Raiser" party involving staff and families as well as residents. Last month it was St. Pat's day with a cake walk, everyone was invited to bring a cake to donate. One residents family brought 4 cakes! I played my sax while everyone walked around. Playing "California Here I Come" had everyone singing! If a resident won a cake it was cut and shared with all. This month we are having our 2nd Fun-raiser - celebrating National Humor Month - we are having a Humor Party with "guess how many candies in a jar", jokes, more music, and the residents are making "Pigs in a Blanket" (I'll get those mini hotdogs in bulk if I can find them) in their Tabletop Cooking prior to the party for all to enjoy. My budget is really small for the month ($150 for 44 bed facility) so I am learning to squeeze every penny I can to make the best... Hope this helps. Cathy

Hi Bonnie, I am new too, and somedays are better than others. The last couple of days have been a bit of a reprieve. I do have a helper, only part time (2 mornings paid), and she herself needs supervision. The only time I leave her alone is when I must attend Care Plan mtgs or Medicare mtgs. Then at those times a simple exercise program is scheduled, one day of which a volunteer runs it. My facility is about 44 beds, so we are similar in that. On Monday, Weds and Friday afternoons a bingo is scheduled, which lasts about an hour. For now I am keeping it that simple. Monday & Weds I end it at 3 and spend the rest of the afternoon catching up on paperwork and room visits. At 3 I will sometimes put a classic movie on in the dining room. If they have popcorn I bring my charting in to work on. Fri. afternoon's I have an ice cream social after bingo, and serve Ice Cream until about 3:30. I work each day until 4:30 so try to use those afternoons to the fullest. I try and spread out room rounds in the mornings in between activities and meetings. I am fortunate in that staff is good about helping (I think that being on the Eden alternative has made a difference, they seem to have done a pretty good job of embracing that), so we have sometimes 20-25 residents out to exercise and even more out to music events. During those I try and make time for the lower functioning people who are attending to get them as actively involved as possible. I hope that helps make it count as an activity for lower functioning residents as well, because I really put forth a specific effort and try to chart it and am trying to figure out a catchy phrase to calendar it to show that. We are having a therapy dog coming to live with us and he will be a regular in my room rounds. All that said, the last two days were better but somedays I have felt totally overwhelmed. I need to really get into the charts and make sure I am doing them right, and I need to read the Policy and Procedures manual, again. I wasn't taking volunteers through any kind of applications or policy and procedures, so now is one more thing... I hope my calendar is up to snuff, and hope my charting is too. I was at a 135 bed facility so this seems serene in comparison. It sure is a learning process. I'm glad this forum is here to to help us hang in together and offer ideas and support. Good luck to you. Cathy

Julie, Where are you at in CA? I am in the Central Valley... Cathy

Hi, thanks for the information. What scares me is just all of this. I am not yet certified and haven't started school and my administrator says he is waiting for state to finish with survey (they are due any time) to get me started. I thought I read we'd get a deficiency if I wasn't at least enrolled. He probably will "enroll" me just to get by... So I don't have any comfort level with completing the care plans and all else, worried about getting not only everything calendared correctly but carrying out everything (such as activities for the low functioning group). Without really any help...no real training...my administrator when he does approach me wants to know how often I brush the teeth of the therapy dog! That's about it with him! Now he wants me to take two afternoons each week to train with this dog... so something else will have to slip - I think I will put it back to him and in writing - what must I give up in order to spend time with this dog! It is my only planning time. Honestly I think (I know!) they are totally missing the point of AD - I really really believe they see me as the babysitter and are blowing off state... I know better than they but don't have the skills yet as I have said above... I had wonderful training as an Assistant at another facility, I know mostly what I need to do, but to make it all happen with only a 21 yr old immature mostly volunteer (paid for 8 hours/wk but volunteers 2 PM's and one AM so guess what, they don't see the need to pay someone) who doesn't show up half the time and behaves totally inappropriately with residents when she is here...I care darn it! But the state isn't going to see that. I am beginning to wonder if they only have me because of licensing and then will let me go. And I am GOOD at what I do. I was a great assistant and want to do well at this! My DON brushed me off stating that "State won't be looking that hard at Activities charting..." I am documenting these comments, I just have too much pride in what I do to want to be caught in the middle of this! So I guess what I am saying is no matter how much I care and how good I know I can make this, without time and training it won't matter to state and I don't want to get the blame for the program not being on target. Do you see what I mean? I tell them this but they keep blowing it off, except one person, Tuesday I will ask her for a good talk session so hopefully she can help. She stated that I am an integral part of the interdisciplinary team and yes, State will look at me, then mentioned quickly three main things (low functioning...and what else? That's why I need help!) and I told her she is the ONLY one who has told me this and it took her a month to get to me. So much to learn yet with the pressure of state coming! I don't know all my residents like I'd like, just barely having learned names now a month into my job...hardly any time for assessments, learning MDS's but just enough to know what I am doing wrong, don't know HOW to do care plans... HELP! I am drowning! I have to do an outing this week and have no idea what I will need, who is coming on it... it is a SNF so they need LOT'S of help... Sorry to vent but I am really overwhelmed. I am going to tell this person on Tuesday. I want to stay, I love the work, I do it for the residents... but I don't know anymore. I woke at 3 Am this morning and wrote 4 long pages of my worries. Detailed every minute of my day and asked how I can do it all and what else do I need to do to do it right. Cathy

Suzie, I am being told the exact same thing. I'm learning my job out here in California, so things must not be any different anywhere...other than that, I don't know what to tell you, as it is all so new yet to me. There is so much to know... but my DON is being very patient and teaching me... in fact, almost all our dept. heads are new so her hands are FULL with all of us, plus we are in the window for survey now, so we are all pretty nervous about getting our end of the MDS right. She said that MDS' are so complicated that it can take two years to learn all about them. Makes me glad Activities Section N is pretty straightforward and simple, but I've already goofed up a couple of times. So am a little paranoid every time I do my section. One would think it is so simple but it matters when you sign off and date it and what triggers a rap. Yee gads. Last week I didn't even know what a RAP meant. Do you do your MDS's on a computer program? Cathy

We enjoyed hangman on a large dry erase board. The residents had a good time each week letting me know that I would never ever hang them! Cathy

Thank you! I'll try and work with her a little better. She's a sweet kid. I did write a note to my boss asking for more help, I think he's pretty much blowing it off. Wouldn't surprise me now after reading what you've all written. I sort of spelled out my concerns and offered some ideas. Oh well, I took a risk writing it, I guess! Just call me "brave chicken scaredy pants". Ha! If he's mad he's mad. If he ignores it so be it. I am called the radical in the family because now and then I take a stand, for better or for worse (we are all pretty easy going really).Today was better. If he doesn't fire me (I doubt it), I will sure be glad to get past these first few months! Cathy

Thanks. I'm still struggling today, but tonight am going to try to write down my concerns in a way that I can present it to my boss. Will try to put it in a way that shows what really needs to happen to make this place what it should be for the residents and to pass state survey, point by point. I've got some documentation to back me up. My old boss, God bless her, just sailed sweetly through survey and is willing to help me out when they are dragging their feet. And she is now officially the competition but is willing anyway. Other than that... we'll see. Thanks so much for understanding. I cancelled an outing for Friday because I am just too overwhelmed to take it on yet (boss doesn't know that yet but two highers up are ok with it). Just too complicated logistically with everything else I'm learning. Today I began with a stack of assessments and quarterly's that needed to be caught up on. I barely know the residents yet, but try I will to make it right. Cathy

Thanks Lo, I already feel better. Sometimes I just really miss the old place. Cathy

I've been working so hard to stay up and positive but the last few days have been rough. Three activities didn't happen because I didn't have enough help. My part time assistant (2 mornings paid, 3 pm's volunteer) - is sweet, knows how to do everything, but is young (21) and learning disabled and tires because of a congenital hip defect. So often speaks inappropriately to the residents and sometimes forgets their dietary needs at snack time... and attempts to re-adjust people in their chairs (hasn't been inserviced and isn't a CNA)... she's been told often not to but forgets with her learning disability. Needs supervision but I am told she is a "gem" and we don't need anymore hours... I had two days of training here and otherwise she's about the only one who lets me in on the daily routine other than when I am called to meetings. So today at my request I went to a sister facility to train under their AD, who was 1/2 hour late (went once before but my DON called her and said my assistant didn't show up, the AD training me interpretted that as I was to go back, which I did only to be told that I shouldn't have assumed that)...thought she forgot so I called my facility and I got hung up on accidently... went into the bathroom and had a good cry... wiped my eyes with that good old coarse brown paper towel and went back to find the AD had finally gotten back to see me. She was nice but by then all I wanted to do was to call and tell them I would not be back. Honestly, I live in a nearby farm community and I could work at the grocery store for the same pay and be closer to the kids and home... even though I love activities and the people... Sorry to be so long winded but I am seriously tonight wondering if I should hit the classifieds again or try back at my old place who valued what I did... they said I could come back...but it would not be my old job as it's been filled, probably would have to wash toilets or something... :-( I just don't know how I can get some help and training. I'm not even certified yet, am supposed to go to school but that hasn't come up again. Other new staff are getting intense training and I feel just plain forgotten...really don't want to screw up with state survey coming soon... Cathy

Lo, Good morning! Just saw your post and wanted to reply. After two weeks I am beginning to feel as though I am getting a feel for things. Advice for you... um...I am still taking one thing at a time. Someone advised me not to hurry to change things (brainstorming included!) too quickly. So I am going along with the calendar as it is until February when I plan to introduce some new things I've enjoyed with the residents at my old facility. It just takes time to get to know the residents, I went around the first week or so meeting them, asking questions, etc, but now I am getting to know their personalities a bit more and that will come more and more. I am coming in so new that I have to learn how to do the paperwork, such as care plans and assessments, so what I am concentrating on basically when I ask questions is how I do it right so that we get through State survey... also I am looking for residents that State might target, such as someone who is tube fed and bedridden. As far as brainstorming and putting my personality in, it is coming bit by bit. The other facility I was at was huge on brainstorming with big personalities and I really have had to adjust! Our administrator/owner is on site, his mother in law is a resident, we are doing Eden with re-decorating and he has declared NOTHING is to be put on walls... so I have to get creative as to how I can brighten up the place and inject my own personality. I make a to-do list everyday, it helps me to write it down, otherwise I worry over things. They want me to do a newsletter right away but the program (Microsoft Publisher)is giving me fits and honestly, it is low on my list until I get to know the people and routine of being a director. So I guess what it boils down it is just give yourself some time, take it one thing at a time, after a few weeks you will look around and see you are starting to find your fit with the folks, have fun with them when you can (I only have a part time assistant so I have to figure out how to do activities and make the meetings, paperwork, etc...) Take care, we can do this! If you need someone to brainstorm with just holler, I know I miss not having someone to bounce things off of, that's why I like this site. Cathy

Stacy, My best to you too! The facility I worked at before this one up until three weeks ago just had theirs, 3 months after the window. They did great, in spite of their fears and the stress. I think while I was there the stress level was so high just knowing they could come at any minute and we kept waiting and waiting. I would like to celebrate with them as I was working at it right along with them. Mine is coming up and am hoping they run a bit late just so I can get a handle on things. If they are early I'll just have deal with it and try to remember I am there for the residents first... have got my work cut out with being so new here. It won't be the first survey I've been through but the first as a greenhorn AD in an unfamiliar place. Hang in there! It will be behind you soon! Cathy

Your place sounds like mine, Lo, except a few more of my residents are a little bit higher functioning than at the old place. I am also used to running on the floor, not much time in the office. I don't have much assistance at this new place, only a 21 yr old who is paid for about 4 hours a week, and she does volunteer often otherwise, and she is quite good, but she is not on regular hours. So what it boils down to is that I will have to do both, be on the floor doing activities and make sure the paperwork gets done, until I have more help otherwise. The one thing I want to concentrate on this first month, besides just making sure the activities carry on, is setting a goal of each day reaching a number of residents to make my own assessments on, so that I can know who they are and what their needs are. So by the end of the month, maybe sooner, I will have at least met everyone and have my own notes, hopefully avoiding having anyone fall through the cracks, especially the bed bound patients and the dementia patients. Should be a little easier with this being a smaller facility, but still seems daunting at the moment. What a responsibility! I also have to learn how to do care plans and assessments according to regulation... so it will be quite the challenge, I especially want to just get in the habit of staying on top of it. Then I want to really work on room visits, while I am assessing them I guess! Learn to make them good and fun and helpful, but for now, it's just getting acquainted. Honestly this weekend I have had to pep talk myself, I miss my old friends and residents so, even though I know I can do this and it will be wonderful experience...we are short staffed across the board, other dept heads are doing more than one job, so no-one will be fussing much over me...so I am open to any ideas too, hey, we know how to fly by the seat of our pants, right?! Cathy

I am making it through my first week. Had the old Act. Director for two days, then she was off to her new job. She told the Administrator as she was leaving Weds. that she would not be back. Got her dream job teaching in a lovely school, there was no way she should have jepardized that. She is a month behind on daily logging, and I don't like the system, it is a complicated one that we used when I first started my old job, we had trouble keeping up on it too. But she says he won't change... I may try eventually once I get more familiar with everything. Our residents here are alot higher functioning than at my old place, which is really a nice change. At my old place the administrator gave us the freedom as if we were Imagineers at Disney (WHY did I walk away from that!) :hammer: ... this guy is a little more of a stick in the mud, but it is a good education, I will learn tons from the residents and learn so much about the workings of being a Director... and eventually I will work my own personality in so maybe this administrator may soften up a bit... if not, and if it drives me crazy, some day I will have the experience to move on if it's what I want... I was getting tired of stapling things on walls so very much of the time, but it was sure fun for our residents to see change, now I am not allowed to staple or tape, so the walls are empty, eventually I would like to figure something out to brighten it up, bring out some personality! We did get a trained Assistance Dog this week. I guess I am to make it an Activity to groom him, it was fun the first day but I am still figuring things out, yesterday we did a cooking activity and it just didn't work out to groom him too. A lot on my plate, our administrator (also corporate owner whose office is on-site) will have to be patient, and if he's not, oh well. Good to find you all. Cathy

User Name - quilterbcathy What type of facility do you work for - skilled nursing How long have you been in Activities - 1 1/2 years Where are you from - California What is your sign - Real Women Eat Chocolate What job did you do before activities - volunteer coordinator at a Quilt Museum What famous people do people say you look like - hmm. They threw away the mold when they made me. If you where an animal, what would you be - A shaggy dog Hobbies - Quilting, playing the sax AD Strength - my smile, love for residents AD Weakness - Getting them into the activity Favorite Type of Activity - Anything musical, reminisce times Least Favorite Type of Activity - bingo Favorite AD Book - Haven't decided Favorite AD Website - this one is pretty cool Do you have a website - not a personal one but our facility does Certified or Not Certified - not yet Email or snail mail - email Is your office small, medium or large - I would guess medium Storage room or no storage room - a few storage closets And - we have a dining room in which we do activities. When the weather is nice we can go outdoors

Thank you so much Karen! Those questions look great, what I needed! You are so right about not changing anything in a hurry with the residents, I needed that reminder. I know my others at the other facility were having trouble dealing with me leaving and another coming... I think it will go well, I'll let you know. Thanks again, Cathy

Hello, and oh my gosh :-o I am trying not to panic here. Am going from Asst at a 135 bed facility to Director at a 42 bed facility that is switching to the Eden Alternative. It is exciting to have the opportunity and I am trying to keep a positive attitude and stay strong here. Stopped by the new facility yesterday on my way home (it was my last day at the other facility) to discover that the current Director who is to train me for two weeks may start her new job Tuesday, Wednesday for sure - so I will have one day of "orientating" with her IF I am lucky... she was hurriedly typing up the January calendar, last minute - a full schedule of activities, nothing modified, nothing changed over to Eden yet, State survey window coming up... mentioned off the cuff that even though it is not calendared there is a coffee social at 9:30 each morning, "everybody knows that"! Also that the newsletter must be started Tuesday. that there is a Candlelight dinner monthly that the rest of the staff does nothing to assist with... etc... now I am used to running and I am used to punting at the last minute... but! So, if I have her for one day, I am thinking I had better dig in... what would you do? It is 4:30 AM here, I am hoping to write down my questions over this long weekend and not lose ANY more sleep than I have to. I want to propose strongly that (at least for now) the Candlelight dinners be changed to quarterly and request that Department Heads assist with this. I understand that the Eden Alt. encourages this anyway. Also propose that the calendar be modified for now until I can get more oriented... I am also going to request (in light of both the switch-over to Eden and State survey coming) that they allow me 20 hours of weekday assistant (she laughed at this and said "in my dreams). Right now they allow 8 hours of weekend assistant. The current director has requested more help and the person who hired me hinted that Asst. hours may be increased. Also they are looking to hire a new social services director so the Administrative Assistant is filling that temporarily, they seem to be stretched to the limit I suspect. Also that I will have to figure priorities really quickly to maintain the integrity of reaching the population while meeting the minimum at least for State survey,so some things will have to give if I am going to do it all, I have to get to know my residents first... The positives are that I love this population at the SNF level, I have the experience and they will send me to school to finish my certification, and there are staff from my other facility who know this director and how he works, and overall are positive and will continue to be supportive. Also I am honestly glad State is starting to take Activities seriously with Quality of Life issues, it is NOT a babysitting job and there is nothing easy about it, it is hard work. Please! Any suggestions you have will be SO appreciated! What have you learned from the school of hard knocks? Do you have any suggestions? Do any of you do Eden? I REALLY REALLY don't want to lose any more sleep over this. It doesn't pay well enough for that but I do want to make it work and work well. WHY do I get the feeling that this sort of beginning won't surprise most of you?! Thank you very much, Cathy

Hello, I am new here! Have been a full time Act. Asst. in a 135 bed Skilled Nursing Facility for the past year and a half. Just had my last day there yesterday as I am taking on a full time position at another SNF nearby as Activity Director. It is a 42 bed facility that is in the process of changing over to the Eden Alternative. Will be posting with questions! We are coming up on our window of State Survey in the new place and it seems the Act. Director who would be training me for the next two weeks will be starting sooner than anticipated on her new job... so I will be flying solo a whole lot sooner than I expected! Am grateful that I cut my teeth on the larger facility but am awake here at 4 am thinking about this... am hoping to write some things down so I don't do this awake thing all weekend. Cathy

Hi, I am new here. In our low sensory groups among other things we offer pieces of fabric (about 4 - 6 inches square) on a ring - you'd have maybe 20 pieces of fabric on the ring - with the different textures and colors they seem to enjoy the feel of the fabric, and some, who may have sewn have even spoken a bit. We also have a "hover-ball" we purchased at McFrougles, it is blown up with helium and they can bat at it in the air. We've gotten people to move their arms that might otherwise never move at all. We also had a volunteer who was willling to sew us about a dozen busy aprons that gives them something to "fiddle" with their fingers. I'm leaving my asst. job to start as director at a smaller facility next week. I think it will go good but a little nervous! Cathy