Job Title

[Guest Guest_Gerro]

At our facility we are looking at reworking the Activity department - There is a question of other names for an AD. I have heard of "Recreation Director", Lifestyle Coordinator", as well as "Activity Leader or Coordinator" What titles do you go by?

[Guest Guest]

My Chapter of Activity Directors that I am a member of all go by "Activity Director" for our titles. That was not a title voted upon, but just what we call ourselves. I have heard of other facilities requesting their ADs refer to themselves by other titles to give their home a more "like home" feel...but we are still Activity Directors. :-)

[Guest Guest_Karen]

Activity Director

 

and

 

Social Director

 

are the ones I have heard

 

Karen

[Guest Guest]

We are a therapeutic recreation department. The head of the department is the Director of Therapeutic Recreation

[Guest Angel Parrish]

 

My title is "Life Enrichment Coordinator" or the LEC as I am usually called. I love it! It works on every level giving a description of exactly what our job is all about.

Angel

[Diana 0]

I go by Life Enrichment Coordinator as well.

 

I still fall into the trap of saying Activity Director when I get funny looks from people about what LEC means! Then it is almost as though a lightbulb goes on in their heads about LEC and they usually shake their head and agree with the title.

 

LEC says so much more about what we do! WE aren't just entertaining, but Enriching!

[Guest Shirley Thomson]

At our facility we are looking at reworking the Activity department - There is a question of other names for an AD.  I have heard of "Recreation Director", Lifestyle Coordinator", as well as "Activity Leader or Coordinator"  What titles do you go by?

Hi

 

In Australia AD'S are called Diversional Therapist

 

regard Shirl

[Guest Guest_Jackie]

I'm known as an activities director at our facility but one i've heard frequently is recreational therapist.

[Guest TOONIE]

Activity Director.

[Guest Guest_heavenstar]

My title is Program Service Coordinator

[flgrl 0]

Program Coordinator

[DeniseRieser 0]

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!