Each September, one week of the month is designated as National Assisted Living Week®. It’s an opportunity to bring greater awareness to the crucial role assisted living plays in caring for older adults and those with disabilities. This year, NALW is September 8–14.
NALW is among our favorite celebrations at Park Senior Villas. While having a good time is always a goal of our events, NALW also shines a spotlight on the bonds that exist between residents, their family members, and the staff in each of our communities.
We think of residents as the heart and soul of Park Senior Villas. Taking good care of them goes beyond ensuring their physical, emotional, and social needs are met.
Our dedicated caregivers spend quality one-on-one time with residents every day, getting to know them on a deeper level and cultivating relationships. The friendships they form frequently extend to residents’ family members, as well.
If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to work in an assisted living community or what the requirements are, keep reading!
Assisted Living Duties
While there are many types of jobs in assisted living homes, from administrators and activities coordinators to drivers, housekeepers, and landscapers, the one most often associated with assisted living is caregiver.
The fundamental role of caregivers in assisted living communities is to help residents with activities of daily living, or ADLs. These are the basic ADLs:
- Personal hygiene — bathing and grooming (includes dental hygiene as well as nail and hair care).
- Dressing — choosing appropriate clothing and putting it on (limited dexterity or mobility may interfere with some seniors’ ability to dress themselves).
- Using the bathroom — getting seated on and back up from the toilet, and maintaining personal cleanliness.
- Eating — (for some older adults, the movements required to feed themselves are challenging).
- Ambulating — moving around within the living space; going outside and back indoors; getting in and out of bed, a chair, or a vehicle.
Medication Assistance
In some assisted living communities, caregivers also ensure that residents are taking their prescribed medications appropriately. In Arizona, only certified caregivers can administer a variety of medications. If a resident has more complex medication needs, Park Senior Villas will partner with certain Home Health teams to address these needs.
Going Beyond the Basics
Although the daily duties listed above may form the foundation of a caregiver’s role, in many assisted living communities, the scope of the job is much broader.
Caregivers are more than aides or attendants who assist residents with physical tasks. They become friends and companions, providing emotional support, motivation, and encouragement. Best of all, they get to laugh and have fun while helping residents enjoy their day.
We see this every day in our Park Senior Villas communities. Residents’ faces light up when their caregivers greet them. The conversations between residents and caregivers are heartfelt, and the smiles are genuine. The caring goes both ways.
Caregiver Licensing Requirements
The training necessary to become a professional caregiver varies from state to state. It’s also different for various types of positions.
In Arizona, where Park Senior Villas communities are located, these are the requirements to become certified as an assisted living facility caregiver (according to the state statute):
Complete 62 hours of on-the-job training under the direct supervision of a qualified health professional (see the list) and pass an examination required by the Arizona Board of Nursing Care Institution Administrators and Assisted Living Facility Managers with a score of at least 75%.
Additional requirements include being at least 18 years old, and having a high school or GED diploma.
Various organizations, such as the Assisted Living Training School, offer certification programs for caregivers and managers.
Certification also includes a background check and other requirements, such as:
- CPR and first-aid certification (included in some training courses)
- Government-issued ID
- Social Security card
- Fingerprint clearance card
- State-issued food handler card (for safety purposes)
State organizations such as the Arizona Health Care Association also help ensure assisted living communities uphold staffing standards. For example, before hiring a caregiver, assisted living communities in Arizona are required to check the state nurse aide registry to see if the Arizona State Board of Nursing has taken any disciplinary actions against the caregiver’s professional license for a finding of abuse, neglect, exploitation, misappropriation of resident property, or mistreatment of a resident.
Staffing Requirements for Assisted Living Communities
Park Senior Villas employs a variety of staff, ranging from certified caregivers to our amazing assistant caregivers. While everyone undergoes in-depth training, only certain roles require specific certifications. Park Senior Villas adheres to all the Arizona rules and regulations pertaining to certifications, and the degree of care each role is allowed to administer.
Managers, however, typically must have current certifications, which may require continuing education.
Staffing Ratios
Some states require assisted living communities to meet specific staff-to-resident ratios, while other states do not. The average ratio for the industry is 1:8, meaning that each caregiving staff member is responsible for assisting eight residents.
Families with loved ones who require more frequent help with their daily activities may want to look for communities with a higher staff-to-resident ratio. In a case like this, a community like Park Senior Villas would be the perfect fit because our staff-to-resident ratios are between 1:8 and 1:5, so each staff member is responsible for only 8 to 5 residents at a time.
Conversely, older adults who need only minimal assistance but want to be part of a community where they can enjoy lots of activities and special events will probably do well in an assisted living community with a lower staff-to-resident ratio (for instance, 1:12, indicating that each staff member is responsible for 12 residents).
It’s not unusual for assisted living communities to have higher staffing ratios during the day and lower ratios at night, when most residents are sleeping.
Memory Care Is Different
Residents in communities that provide memory support often need more supervision, particularly those who are in a more advanced stage of cognitive impairment. So, a staff-to-resident ratio of 1:5 or 1:6 is more common in memory care communities and more training is required.
In communities like Park Senior Villas that provide both assisted living and memory care, the community will meet the more stringent staffing and certification requirements most states have in place for memory care. While it is not a requirement of the state of Arizona, Park Senior Villas has an LPN or RN at each community location to ensure residents are receiving the best care.
Caregivers Are Special
Those of us who choose to work in assisted living and memory care communities know it takes a special kind of person to be a caregiver.
Many who devote their time and energy to a career as a caregiver can trace their choice to their experiences with a beloved grandparent. Others discover how rewarding it is to work with older adults through their school classes, volunteer efforts, or places of worship.
We wouldn’t be able to provide the exceptional kind of care residents and their families have come to expect at Park Senior Villas if it weren’t for our dedicated, emotionally generous caregivers. They’re the backbone of our team.
Our WholeHearted social media campaign features many of our sweet-spirited caregivers and staff. Take a look and you’ll see what we’re talking about.
You can also participate in an upcoming event at the Park Senior Villas location nearest you — like the ones we’re planning for National Assisted Living Week.
If you’re interested in joining our team, we’d be delighted to hear from you!
