Tamera

You sure can take the courses online. I am presently enrolled in MEPAP II course and have already completed Part 1 online. YOU may check out www.activitydirector.org website and you may call the 1-800 number for more info, or send an e-mail and they will respond promptly. These courses do not certify you, but they are preliminary to National Certification.

You may also want to try having the residents make butterflies with coffee filters and clothes pins. One could just have them place the clothes pin in the middle of the coffee filter after opening its sides. The residents would enjoy painting them with water colors and hanging them up in the activity area to dry. It would also add a great ambience to the activity room. I am not sure how unusal this is, but I found it to be different and fun for the residents at my facility.

I agree with asking your surveyors what By-Laws or Resident Council standards need to be met by you facility. Every long term care facility is not the same. If the facility where you are working doesn't have any previous formats for you to review and create your own, ask your Administrator what he/she thinks would be best.

The facility where I am working, we do not have computer classes, neither instructors to teach the basics to those resodents who may be able to use the computer. The facility does have a computer in the library that is open to those residents who choose to use it. What I've observed, is that many people are not on the cognitive level to use or even learn about the computer. There are those times where we might get a short term resident for rehab and they use the computer. I would like to build a computer area or room....as space permits, and implement a computer program in Activities

I downloaded LIMEWIRE basic, on my computer, which is free. I search soundtracks and nature sounds in the audio search engine and the results are plentiful. This is the cheapest way that has been working for me. I am able to download as much music as I like; oldies, gospel, jazz, instrumentals, etc. and then make my own cds. This is just a little advice that has worked and still is working for me.

As an AD, I would talk with the entertainers, question the lipsinging, and depending on the reply, explain to them the importance of providing live entertainment for the residents. If you have noticed that the residents are not too pleased with the performers, minimize the amount of times they are invited to the facility for performing, and seek other "live" entertainment for the residents.

I would keep an account of all conversations and meetings held with the Assistant, along with letting the Adminstrator know what the situation is in the department. I would also review the rules and regulations expected for the employee, with emphasis on "TIME OFF REQUESTS." If the employee continues to violate the policies and procedures set by the AD, I would first consider a disciplinary action before firing the employee.

Hugs are a way of showing affection and of course comfort to some individuals, but as an AD, one should be CAREFUL. I have worked with some residents who've passed sexual remarks and made sexual gestures towards myself, which makes me aware that I do not want to get that close. Too close for comfort may definetly turn into a problem, if not dealth with beforehand.

Actually, there are some rules for holding offices in Resident Council. We allow the resident's to hold offices for a year and then hold elections again.