Social Services Assistant Full-Time

Bakersfield Post Acute
Pay Range: $19.00-$25.00 per hour, based on experience
Full-Time
Make a Meaningful Difference

Bakersfield Post Acute is seeking a compassionate, organized, and dependable Social Services Assistant to join our team full-time.

Working under the direction of the Social Services Director or Consultant, this position helps address the medically related emotional, social, and psychosocial needs of our residents.

The ideal candidate communicates with empathy, values resident advocacy, and enjoys helping residents and families navigate rehabilitation, long-term care, community resources, and discharge planning.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities


* Assist with planning, developing, implementing, evaluating, and directing the facility's social services programs.


* Help identify and address residents' medically related social, emotional, and psychosocial needs.


* Assist residents in achieving their highest practicable level of independence, self-care, and well-being.


* Provide emotional support to residents and families experiencing anxiety, illness, disability, grief, loss, or difficulty adjusting to a skilled nursing environment.


* Gather and evaluate social, family, and psychosocial information to support resident assessments and care planning.


* Participate in interdisciplinary care-plan meetings, resident conferences, and discharge-planning discussions.


* Complete required forms, reports, progress notes, and other social services documentation accurately and promptly.


* Maintain regular progress notes reflecting residents' needs, interventions, adjustment to facility life, and response to services.


* Provide residents and families with information regarding Medicare, Medi-Cal/Medicaid, financial-assistance programs, and available community resources.


* Assist with discharge planning, including referrals for home health, transportation, equipment, placement, and community-based services.


* Coordinate with hospitals, physicians, healthcare providers, insurance representatives, government agencies, and community organizations.


* Help schedule outpatient appointments and on-site ancillary services, including optometry, podiatry, dentistry, and behavioral-health services.


* Assist residents with obtaining resources from community health, welfare, and social service agencies.


* Coordinate social services activities with nursing, rehabilitation, activities, dietary, admissions, business office, and other departments.


* Participate in community planning related to the needs and interests of residents and their families.


* Assist with developing, reviewing, and updating departmental policies and procedures.


* Participate in employee orientation and in-service education related to residents' social, emotional, and medical needs.


* Develop positive working relationships with residents, families, employees, healthcare professionals, and communit...