Expanding adult day care successfully

Expanding adult day care services successfully by strengthening recruitment and retention, quality assurance, programming, scheduling and financial management requires strong program leadership. Since the vast majority of day care program directors are educated as registered nurses, social workers and recreation therapists, cultivation of effective leadership skills must be achieved through a combination of additional formal education in management, extensive seminar/workshop attendance, outside readings and on the job guidance and experience. The administrator, to whom the program director reports, should devote considerable time and effort toward the director's management development through instruction, counseling and support. Conflicts may arise in areas such as staff and overtime expenses, and marginally efficient equipment purchases, where the director's clinical background may overshadow an objective cost/benefit analysis. Learning to delegate responsibility for basic programming and clinical services to staff, thus developing their skills, is a significant area for director and program growth. A well-trained and motivated nurse's aide can be quite capable of leading discussion and activity groups, perhaps assisted by volunteers. Social work students, with supervision, do a fine job of cofacilitating caregiver support groups and with additional experience, intake assessments.