dankkie

I agree with all of you. We are unjderpaid and as long as nothing is said it will not change. I came into my situation where the present Resident Care Coordinator was the AD. She was not working out as AD, fresh out of college with an Geriantology degree and no experience. She is making big bucks right now and has to experience in nothing. Didn't know anything abour med's until she took the med's class recently. Now something is wrong with this picture when I have 19yrs Parks & rECREATION, 1 YR SKILL Nursing, 3 years ALF and I year Independent Living. I came on making $10 because census was 24. I was promised when census goes up to 32 I will go up to $12. Census is now 45 and they are increasing .50 and month instead of just giving me my money. I am so ready to quit but I know I have to stand still because I have a God who is watching out for me in his own timing. I will get mine sooner or later. I hope sooner than later.

8-) Hello from the sunshine state. Our facility is a three story ALF which has several vacant rooms on the third floor. We are located on beautiful Davis Island in the Tampa Bay area. We were fortunate enough to get local businesses and organizations to sponor a room, decorate it and provide the activity for youth ages 3-12 years old. I must tell you, it was awesome on Oct.30, 2004. At 6pm the door open and it did not stop until 9pm. The residents made popcorn gloves with candy corns in the bottom of each finger to look like nails and they also stuff candy bags in advance to hand out to the children. Other activities included a spook walk up three flights of stairs to the youth's suprise, three haunted room with staff members at their best, :-x spooking everybody daring to come their way :cry: . Downstairs, a costume contest, cake walk and other activities continued to go on. It was wonderful. Staff volunteered their time to decorate on friday and sat, plus worked the event. The residents had morefun than anybody seeing all the young people in the building and that's what it's all about! making them happy.

:-D hello! let me fill you in on something exciting. well, dig down in your basket and if!you can show a tube of denture cream, well "LET'S MAKE A DEAL!" yes! LET'S MAKE A DEAL game show works for every group I've ever tried it with. get staff to assist you in this. you're going to need three doors. I used room dividers and placed big numbers on them ( #1, #2 and #3). Behind each door you're going to have an assortment of prizes (dollar store). Ask a staff memebr to be your game show assistant. She will dress up in one of her fabulous eveing gowns for the event. You know, VANA all the way Ask the residents a few days in advance to go through their personal items and pack things they least expect you to ask for. You know; shoe laces, mouth wash, safety pins, dentures and cream, colored socks, cucumber, hair pin, tooth brush, etc. CRAZY STUFF! On the day of the event, have you microphone ready ( I used a broom handle and when I asked the residents questions, they actually talked into the broom handle as if it were a real microphone.) :hammer: Have music and the big announcement to start the show and welcome everybody to LET MAKE A DEAL". Ask if any body has a certain item. The person who does, call them to your stage. and give them a choice between doors for the prize. Make sure you have blopper prizes as well. After the selection, let that person know they they will have an opportunity to trade the prize at the end of the show. The game continues to the end AND IT IS SO MUCH FUN BUT THE GAME SHOW HOST MUST BE EXCITED TO MAKE IT WORTHWHILE. At the end, give the people a choice to trade or to keep what they have already won. Some still end up with bloppers in the end. Have refreshment and THAT'S ALL FOLKS!

:-D HI there.thank you for the encouraging words. guess what? I have a JOB. You can't keep a good girl down I am back working at my first assisted ALF that work at when first moved to Tampa. All ole residents still remebers me and today is my first day. Thank God for favor!

:cry:Hello to all you outstanding people caring and motivating others to life. I logged in July to introduce myself and I was glad to be able to communicate with folk I believe are true "AActivity Director". I told you that was working at an independent living retirement center in Tampa, Fl. Well, since I last talked to you, I was "TERMINATED"!! :hammer: Yes, the "Big T"! I am still in shock and hoping that one day I will wake up out of this dream and realize that it was only a nightmare. The night before "Charlie" was scheduled to hit Tampa Bay, I was on the 7th floor of my facility and noticed that one of the two elevator shaft door was open, yet the elevator was still running. I inform the manager and she had me call the maintenance man who had already left for the evening. He in turn called the elevator company and that person was already in an evacuation route from Pinellas Park, Fl and he could not get to us. Nevertheless, he called another company in Tampa and they sent a guy over who decided they would wait until after the storm and repair the elevator. Mind you, we have 14 stories of seniors and disables people who will only have one elevator to evacute one, plus TECO Electric is shutting off the power at 10am the day of the storm. My manager had recently had knee surgery, therefore, my job was on the day of the storm, evacute all people with oxygen, wheel chairs or scooters, and any elderly peson who might be uncomfortable staying in their apartment. We had prepared a make shift evacuation center down stairs. At 8:00am, I began going from floor to floor informing those who actually had to be evacuated. 8:30am, I was called over the P.A. system to come down stairs. I was asked by the maintenance man (who is in charge over me when the mgr, is not in the bldg.) why was I knocking on everybody's door. I told him I was following instructions of the mgr. He called her on her cell and she asked me the same thing. I told her I wanted to be accountable for every person in the building and their whereabouts. I asked her should I evacuate those people on my list who had been document with physical disabilities. She said only if they wanted to come down but priorty people will be the ones in wheel chairs or scooters. I waited for the elevator to come back down and now it's taking 15-20 because every body waited to leave around the same time. Now the clock is ticking at 8:50 a.m. and not only was TECO turniong off the power at 10a.m., but maintenance was shutting down the elevators at 9:30a.m. I still have floors to go. After going back up and making sure everybody I told to come down was down or on their way, my mgr arrive at the facilty and called me on the cell and instructed me to stop everything I was doing and go to an elderly resident's room and back her up and bring her down because she had not been pick up by Hospice and she would have to stay here. I did that and by the time I got her down, maintenance told me no one could go back up. He was shutitng down the elevator. I was instructed to get every body comfortable downstairs and begin serving the food. I did. Afterwards, I was told that when I finished clean up to take my son (volunteer) and go home. I asked the mgr, did she need me to stay because after the surge comes in the EMS would not be responding to calls. I was the only certified person in the bldg (CPR & 1st Aid instructor, ARC). She (mgr.) said, if I was a nurse she could see me staying, but go on home. The following Monday, I took a personal leave day and Tues the 17th I arrived at work only to find out that 1 person was found on hid floor (stroke) and another lady was found (dead) on her floor on Saturday. I was told that I was being termoinate due to neglience on my part. Somebody help me make some sense of this. My residents weep for me and I for them. The place is back to being sad and lonely. My resident do not understand and neither do I. I just moved into a new home and now the load is back on my husband again until God blesses me with another job. Before I came, the residents stayed in their rooms because they had not had activities for over a year. Now, folk who never came down, come every day and they laugh and enjoy life and boom, everything is snatched from them without warning. If you know anyone looking for a person with a heart for the people, full of abundabce, over 27 years experience, please write me. I apologize for using all of this space to pour out, but I had to get some release and hope somebody can give me some advice or encouragement, because I need it right now. :-( Joann

8-) Hi! I just wanted to send you a big HELLO from downtown Tampa, Fla. My name is Joann and I am currently working in the capacity of Activity Director at an retirement center. This really was a big change for me because my experience brought me 19 years in Parks & Recreation, 1 year skilled Nursing 3 years ALF and now independent living. I have to get used not running up to a residents room to make sure they are okay when I see paramedics in the building. There is nothing like getting booted out :-x by the paramedics, telling me that I am not allowed in because of privacy of resident. At the other facilities, it was my responsibility to know what was happening with each person. I have to get use to it even though I still go :-D . Anyway, I just wanted to say I'm here and I specialize in special events, so give me a holler every now and then. :pint: