PRN Program Assistant

The St. Louis Jewish Community Center (the J) has been providing excellent experiences in health & wellness, early childhood and adult education, sports and recreation, camping, Jewish and cultural experiences for the entire community for over 140 years. Members and program participants enjoy access to state-of-the-art facilities and programs. Employees enjoy a large range of benefits, including a complimentary membership! The Js commitment to diversity and equity is ongoing, and our culture is warm and inclusive of all, regardless of faith. Employees are safe being who they are at work. We invite you to be a part of our amazing team and community.

Summary:

The Program Assistant position is responsible for providing personalized services for individuals who have intellectual or developmental disabilities, as well as older adults with Alzheimer’s/Dementia and other cognitive impairments. The Adult Day Center at the J offers two specialized program tracks, Connections and IN. Both programs are geared to help our participants build upon and maintain their current knowledge, discover new abilities and cultivate socialization skills all while working to achieve their own personal goals. Activities vary from day-to-day and take place both on and offsite in the community.

Essential Responsibilities:

• Support individuals with developmental disabilities and cognitive impairments as they participate in group activities which includes swimming, exercise, volunteering, interaction with animals, art, music, gardening, cooking, etc. Note, will be expected to get into the pool or participate in fitness classes to directly assist participants during the activity.
• Assist in researching, developing and implementing activities focused to benefit participants cognitively, socially, recreationally, physically, and will assist with independent skills development, both for large and small groups of participants.
• Complete all daily documentation and data collection to record observations on assigned participants to maintain compliance with licensure and contracts: i.e. Department of Mental Health and Department of Health and Senior Services.
• Facilitate individual accommodations necessary to assist individuals to fully participate in activities.
• Facilitate physical location transitions or sensory breaks between activities (on and offsite) as needed.
• Appropriately intervene in all crisis situations related to behavior or health as needed.
• Work cooperatively with the Adult Day Center multi-disciplinary team to enhance offered programs.
• Observe participant behavior, assess its appropriateness, and apply appropriate behavior management techniques.
• Monitor accuracy of participant name tags daily and weekly maintenance of the Wander Guards.
• Assist participants in mobility, personal care and with serving food during meal times.
• Assist participants with activities of daily living including toileting.
• Care for the physical and emotional well being of every Adult Day Center participant at all times.
• Recognize and respond to opportunities for problem solving.
• Enforce appropriate safety regulations and emergency procedures.
• Greet family members as they arrive to drop off/pick up participants.
• Provide quality customer service at all times, and represent the JCC and Adult Day Center in a positive and professional manner.
• Attend staff meetings, training sessions and assist with agency events and programs as requested.
• Provide backup coverage to Adult Day Center programs as needed.
• Adhere to Social Work Code of Ethics, HIPAA and confidentiality guidelines at all times.
• Other duties as assigned. These are not the only duties to be performed. Some duties may be reassigned and other duties may be assigned as required.

Qualifications:

• High School diploma or GED is required; related Associates or Bachelors degree is preferred.
• 1+ year(s) of experience working with relative population individuals with developmental/intellectual disabilities required.
• Working knowledge of medical conditions and diagnoses common among elderly and disabled populations is a plus.
• Prior experience working with the elderly, medically frail and/or people with various cognitive impairments such as dementia is strongly preferred.
• Prior experience with providing personal care assistance (i.e. toileting, physical transfers, etc.) is strongly preferred.
• Experience with development and implementation of individualized and person centered goals, preferred.
• Must have prior experience with planning and leading activities to the population served .
• Must have excellent communication skills, both written and oral.
• Visual and auditory acuity with excellent communication skills to understand and interpret written and oral materials and instructions is required.
• Must have advanced computer skills (Database systems and Microsoft Office Suite: Outlook, Excel, Word, PowerPoint). Demonstrated ability to learn new computer applications is a must.
• Must have a teamwork mentality and excellent interpersonal skills.
• Must be able to assist with the restroom needs of participants.
• Physical ability to lift 40 pounds, transfer participants (on occasion up to 250 pounds) and assist participants with mobility.
• Must have the visual acuity to monitor participants and focus near and far.

Per our licensure, Adult Day employees are required to become registered with the MO Family Care Safety Registry. Active registration must be maintained for continued employment at our center. American Red Cross CPR/First Aid certification, TB testing, and Hepatitis A vaccine are required in this role per licensure. The J provides training/re-certification, testing, and vaccine if employee does not already have.

To learn more about the Jewish Community Center, Adult Day at the J and all that we do, please visit our website: www.jccstl.org.
The J is an Equal Opportunity Employer and participates in the Department of Homeland Security's eVerify program.