Therapeutic Recreation Intern

Our Mission Statement:
Honor Christ through faithful service to seniors and one another.

What’s in it for you?:
As a valued member of our team, you’ll enjoy these exceptional benefits perks:

• Paid time off, with an opportunity to cash out each year
• Tuition reimbursement
• Health, dental, vision, and life insurance options
• Retirement contributions
• Professional licensure reimbursement

Want to know more? Visit Homewood Benefits (https://www.homewoodlivingministries.com/careers/benefits) for all the details.

A 10 week (300 hour) enriching Community Therapeutic Recreation internship primarily focused within the independent and assisted living community.

The internship will focus on the diversity of the “wellness” program and the intern will assess and implement programs and activities to engage residents in physical, social, creative and intellectual pursuits, according to their varied interests and abilities.

A candidate for the acceptance into the internship program would be an individual with a college degree in Exercise Science, Human Development and Family Studies, Kinesiology, or a current student of similar curricula matriculated at an accredited institution, and an individual with a genuine interest in serving and caring for a senior adult population.

Job Summary:
This is a 300 hour paid internship designed to provide the student with hands-on experience in therapeutic recreation for senior adults. Under the guidance of the Therapeutic Recreation Director, the intern will assist in creating and implementing individual and group activities that meet the psychosocial needs of residents. This internship will provide learning opportunities in care planning, interdisciplinary collaboration, and program evaluation, all within a supportive environment.

Essential Functions:

• Treats all information about residents, their condition, and family as confidential information.
• Complies with established Corporate and Departmental policies and procedures and maintains established standards and practices.
• Supports the Therapeutic Recreation Director in the implementation and execution of individual and group activities for residents in the Health Care Center.
• Assists in resident assessments, care planning, and the implementation of individualized care plans, gaining exposure to care planning processes.
• Participates in the development, coordination, implementation, and evaluation of the activities program, gaining leadership experience by facilitating activities for residents.
• Collaborates with interdisciplinary teams, including resident care planning meetings, offering an opportunity to learn how different departments work together.
• Contributes to the creation of the activity calendar, learning how to design and adapt activities based on resident needs and responses.
• Works with the Wellness and Assisted Lifestyles Directors to develop integrated activities across different care levels.
• Gains experience in the facilities’ processes of Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement (QA/PI) processes. Interns may complete a research project or paper based on an identified QA/PI issue, under the supervision of the Therapeutic Recreation Director.
• Attends and observes resident council meetings, learning about the feedback process and resident issue resolution.
• Performs other functions as directed by the supervisor.

Qualifications:
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Currently pursuing a degree in Human Development and Family Studies, Occupational Therapy, Kinesiology, or a related field at an accredited institution.

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Passion for working with senior adults and an interest in therapeutic recreation.

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Ability to listen to and communicate with residents at a level they understand.

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Qualities of creativity, resourcefulness, and imagination in planning resident activities.

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Experience working with seniors (preferred but not required).

Physical Requirements:
Must be able to constantly work on their feet during an 8-hour shift. Sometimes involved in assisting with resident transfers or repositioning. Must be able to react quickly and decisively in emergency situations and during unexpected behavior or residents. Must be abto push residents who are in a wheelchair frequently throughout an 8-hour shift.