Therapeutic Recreation Leader (At-Will)

City of Alexandria•Alexandria, VA

8d•Onsite

About The Position

The City of Alexandria is seeking a Therapeutic Recreation Leader (At-Will) to create, implement, and lead therapeutic recreational programs for older adults with physical, cognitive, and intellectual disabilities at the Adult Day Services Center. This role involves recognizing emergencies and health-threatening conditions, providing assistance with personal hygiene, physical and cognitive activities, and social interactions. The incumbent will also create and implement behavior treatment plans, communicate concerns to supervisors and staff, and plan and implement program goals and objectives based on participant needs and interests. The work is performed independently under the general direction of a Therapeutic Recreation Manager.

Requirements

Two-Year College Degree
Good knowledge of the social and recreational sciences, including the theory, principles, and practices of therapeutic recreation
Ability to acquire appropriate certification in CPR and First Aid within the first three months of employment
Completion of a minimum 40-hour training program consistent with Department of Medical Assistance Services requirement or Nursing Assistant Certification
Possess a valid driver's license issued by the State of their residence
Pre-employment drug test
Criminal records check
TB test

Nice To Haves

Experience in therapeutic activities, preferably in an adult day care program setting or a directly related field working with the frail and impaired older seniors and person with disabilities
Completions of college-level courses in gerontology including therapeutic recreation
Acquire appropriate certification from National Certification Council for Activities Professionals

Responsibilities

Leads daily therapeutic recreational activities, instructs and demonstrates game methods, and motivates participants to actively participate in therapeutic activities to enhance individuals physical, cognitive, social, emotional and spiritual well-being.
Inspects equipment and monitors activities to ensure safety standards are met and guidelines are followed.
Observes participants for changes in medical conditions and behavior; removes participants from groups when behavior becomes inappropriate.
Provides direct care to physically and cognitively impaired participants including toileting, changing soiled clothing, and assists with colostomy bags.
Provides assistance with ambulation, redirects confused and wandering participants and maintains a safe environment.
Plans and evaluates activities including scheduling appropriate groups at designated dates and times, ensuring all materials needed for activities are safe, clean and available for use, purchases supplies not available through City contracts.
Uses community resources to enhance the activity program; utilizes publications for activity professionals to incorporate new ideas and programs; uses the internet to research activity ideas and supplies.
Keeps accurate documentation of participants progress, Medicaid case notes and assessments, maintains daily attendance records, USDA food program records, schedule bi-weekly transportation and billing records, reconciliation of monthly credit card expenses, ordering and or shopping for monthly food supplies, prepares monthly breakfast and snack menus, answering the telephone, responding to questions from the public and directing calls to other City agencies.
Food service responsibilities include recording accurate temperatures of catered lunch items; prepares and serves breakfast, lunch and snack.
Provides direction to temporary staff, Title V workers, Volunteers and Summer Youth employees; provides training, assigns projects, monitor time sheets and report discrepancies to immediate supervisor.
Housekeeping duties include but are not limited to kitchen clean up, cleaning the oven, logging freezer temperatures, monitor and rotate refrigerator, freezer, and pantry items to ensure food safety, sanitizing cooking and serving utensils, laundry, human waste cleanup, keeping rooms, closets and work area neat and clean, removing fall hazards, cleaning tables, activities equipment, yearly outdoor garden clean-up and maintenance, monitoring kitchen equipment daily to ensure it is in safe and proper working condition.
Opens and closes the center. Ensures the participants arrive in safe manner and return home safely in the proper mode of transportation or makes changes as necessary, providing direct supervision to participants, temporary staff and volunteers, conducts a walk through to lock or unlock doors, checks for hazards or maintenance problems.
Contacts emergency services and supervisors in the event of an emergency.
In the absence of the Center Nurse, administers medications to participants, reads doctors’ orders, fills out the medical administration records.
Monitors blood pressures, identify classes of medications, identify medication terminology and abbreviations, recognize emergencies and other health threatening conditions and respond accordingly.
Completes incident reports in the event of a fall, serious accident, or lost participant.
Performs related work as required.