DeafBlind Aide Activities Assistant

About NEHD:

New England Homes for the Deaf, founded in 1901, is a life plan community that offers a continuum of care to Deaf, Deafblind, and hard of hearing seniors, including independent living, rest home, skilled nursing community, Deaf senior centers, short-term rehabilitation services, respite care services and hospice care. The New England Homes for the Deaf mission is to provide long term healthcare, housing, recreational activities and social support for Deaf, Deafblind and hard of hearing individuals in an accessible, barrier-free, and culturally sensitive environment with optimal communication and architectural resources.

DeafBlind Aide Responsibilities:

• Communicate with Deafblind residents using tactile signs, braille, or the resident's preferred mode of communication.
• Assisting newly admitted Deafblind residents with facility navigation to build and develop their daily routine.
• Train and prepare residents with low vision on how to adapt to their environment and routine.
• Providing ongoing visual descriptions of the environment.
• Explaining menu options.
• Explaining time, nature, and place of activity sign-up events when they are announced at the beginning of the month.
• Have continual dialogue with Deafblind residents regarding their preferences for routines, navigation, learning, and reading materials, initiating and supporting changes as needed.
• Properly document each Deafblind resident's progress on their desired training or service.
• Accompany Deafblind residents to on and off campus appointments.
• Assist Deafblind residents with daily mail by reading it to them and/or transcribe into Braille.
• Communicate and coordinate appropriately with other Deafblind Aides to make sure all Deafblind residents are assisted equally and equitably.
• Remind, cue, and assist Deafblind residents as needed.
• Redirect Deafblind residents when necessary and notify clinical and/or social work staff when Deafblind residents require their support.
Assist Deafblind residents to find the best ways to enhance their quality of life through technology and equipment.

Activities Assistant Responsibilities:

• Accompany Deafblind residents to general activities and provide 1:1 facilitation.
• Create and facilitate activities for DeafBlind residents.
• Invite and encourage DeafBlind residents to attend and participate in activities.
• Explain the time, place and nature of activities as needed.
• Offer activity materials for DeafBlind residents to peruse activities/interests in/out of room as desired.
• Assist with DeafBlind residents in Sunroom activities.
• Assist DeafBlind residents with activities as needed.
• Properly document each DeafBlind resident's daily activity participation in the appropriate logs.
• Provide appropriate group and one-on-one activities for all DeafBlind residents.
• Provide appointment reminders to DeafBlind residents who have signed up for in-house activity services.
• Assist in the transport of DeafBlind residents to activity location.
• Read Daily Activities schedule to DeafBlind residents.
• Set up activity areas as needed.
• Participate in offsite Activities that have a DeafBlind resident attending as needed.
• Attend outdoor events with DeafBlind residents on and off property.
• Assist non-DeafBlind residents as assigned by Activities Director.
• Perform additional duties, as assigned by the Activities Director, in support of the Activities Department.

Requirements:

• ASL fluency.
• Ability to communicate effectively using tactile communication.
• A desire to learn and retain new skills related to Deafblind communication and culture.
• An attitude of respect and compassion towards all residents and staff.
• Pleasant personality and ability to maintain a calm demeanor during excitable or emergency situations.
• Experience working with elderly people is preferred.
• Available to work one weekend per month based on approval from the Activities Director.
• Available to work two out of three (2/3) major Winter and Summer holidays per year based on approval from Activities Director (holidays are listed in the Employee Handbook).
• All staff are required to take our free, on-site ASL and Culture classes.

Physical Requirements:

• Ability to exert up to 20 pounds of force to lift, carry, pull, push, or otherwise move objects and/or residents.
• Ability to push residents in wheelchairs, with an unknown limit of body weight.
• Ability to successfully set up activities on an independent level.
• Ability to transcribe.