Starting a senior care facility is not an easy task. From project development and construction to organizational planning and facilities management, it’s already hectic. At this point, it’s important to remember that things do get easier when you hire the right people for the job. More than that, managing daily business processes will be seamless when you establish appropriate roles and get the right professionals to fill them.
In this article, we’ll discuss the five important roles in a senior living community. We’ll also mention the essential positions you need to fill to keep everything smooth and running. Let’s get to it.
Frontline Workers
Frontline workers deal directly with the senior residents; they are caregivers, caregiving assistants, or medically-trained first responders. Your frontline workers are the core of your senior living community. Without them, the other roles below won’t operate.
These positions provide daily assistance to seniors in bathing, eating, cleaning, or other daily tasks. When hiring frontline workers, your primary requirement is a degree in health or allied-health course. However, certifications can be accepted as well.
Senior Care Specialists
You can also consider this role as part of the frontline. However, it’s best to segregate it. Senior care specialists include nurses, in-house doctors, or physical therapists. Apart from medical positions, you can also have consultants, engineers, or architects specializing in senior care advisory and senior care planning.
Engineers and architects can help you design a facility that’s senior-friendly by placing amenities that will make seniors’ daily living easy. Such amenities may include open spaces, ramps, wheelchair-friendly quarters, etc. However, you may hire these specialists on a contractual basis only unless you need them full-time.
Moreover, you can be creative as well. You can have a health and welfare officer that oversees the seniors’ quality of life, happiness, and daily activities. The officer can also organize fun activities for seniors like museum visits, morning exercise, art classes, and many more.
Office and Administrative Staff
Now that we’ve established the frontline, let’s check the people behind the curtains. First in line would be the office and administrative staff. Every company has a business and finance department. For this role, you need the following positions: a chief accountant, an accounts officer (to maintain the individual accounts of the clients), receivables and payables officers, and office assistants.
Remember that you’re doing business with seniors. You need an administrative staff that knows how to deal with Federal and State benefits, tax compliance, and other regulatory duties. You can even hire a compliance officer to ensure that your community complies with minimum health and safety standards.
Maintenance and Support Staff
The daily activities in a senior community consume many resources, and you need people to take charge of aftercare. The maintenance and support role is self-explanatory. They include cleaners, dishwashers, kitchen personnel, logistical support, and many more. Though this role handles the dirty jobs, they can be considered as necessary as the frontline workers.
If you decide to hire a compliance officer, you can place some maintenance staff under supervision. The maintenance staff must comply with the minimum health and safety standards of the State which includes the proper cleaning procedures in the facility.
Managerial Positions
Managerial roles are optional, especially if you plan on managing your senior care community on your own. However, you can always hire a substitute manager if you can’t attend to the business every day.
More so, you need someone to stay overnight in case something happens. Though a night manager is not necessary, you can consider it if it fits your business structure. One of the biggest considerations here is the kind of community you intend to run. For instance, an independent living community might not necessarily need a dedicated night manager, but a memory care facility definitely will.
Apricus is your Trusted Senior Housing Consultant
Do you need help in managing your senior living community? Apricus Senior Living can help you make the right decision. We are consultants specializing in senior living, and we have the expertise to guide you in growing your senior living facility for improved returns. Call us now at 386-256-2015, and let’s talk about your business.