What Does an Activity Director Do?

01Enhance Living

Activity Directors serve residents in care facilities such as treatment centers, retirement and assisted living by designing and implementing activities for individuals and groups.

02Facilitate Relationships

Activity Directors facilitate socialization, entertainment, and fulfillment, as they enhance participants' daily lives.

03Build Best Practices

Activity Directors are responsible for planning, coordinating and evaluating activities using therapy strategies and modalities most commonly used in the field.

What You'll Learn

Structure planning for optimal use of an environment
Demonstrate knowledge of a variety of programming options
Establish and facilitate group and individual participation
Identify the availability, options, and uses for adaptive equipment and interventions
Discuss the management of resident and community volunteers, including recruitment, training, and recognition
Show awareness of the role of various therapies in activity programming

Career Outlook:
Activity Director

Background

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), jobs in the recreation sector, including Activity Directors, are expected to grow by 10% between now and 2029. This is much faster than overall job growth.

Potential Earnings

Recruiting site Zippia.com states that Activity Directors earn $22.13 per hour or $46,029 per year. According to PayScale.com, early-career Activity Directors can expect to earn $15.07 per hour with 1-4 years of experience.

Course Outline

You will have six months of course access to complete the required coursework.

  • LONG-TERM CARE FUNDAMENTALS
    Explore the history of long-term care and learn about the philosophies backing person-centered care. Develop a basic knowledge of the aging process.
  • PHYSICAL CHANGES
    Address common misconceptions about aging and examine the physical and mental changes humans face as they age
  • APPLICABLE REGULATIONS
    Examine psychosocial needs and receive an overview of applicable regulations. Learn about advocacy and resident-family councils.
  • ADMISSION AND DISCHARGE PROCESS
    Discuss the principles of documentation, basic performance skills, staff management, and care plan effectiveness required to admit or discharge a patient.
  • ROLES AND PROGRAMS
    Learn the role of the activity direction, programming options, various therapy techniques often used, and options for adaptive equipment.
UTSA PaCE
Registration
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You will have six months of course access to complete the required coursework. Upon successful completion of the course, you will be awarded a Certificate of Completion.

$845
Meet the Instructor
Cindy Gray

Cindy Gray has worked in the healthcare field since 1999. She began her career as a CNA, then completed her LPN, and continued with an ADN degree. She functioned as a Long-Term Care charge nurse, Inpatient Rehabilitation nurse, MDS Coordinator, and Director of Nursing. Following this, she re-enrolled in college and obtained a BSN while performing duties of Human Resources, Staff Development Coordinator, Risk Management, Health Information Management, and Senior Living Manager.

Building Community

This training program is delivered to the San Antonio community through a partnership with Ed2Go.

UTSA Professional and Continuing Education
Ed2Go