Activity supervisor (Activiteitenbegeleider)
Information on this skill...
An activity supervisor is a healthcare professional who is responsible for organizing and supervising appropriate activities for people in need of care. An activity supervisor therefore provides medical services in the form of offering various activities to patients. To which patients these activities are offered can differ per institution where the activity supervisor works. An activity supervisor works purposefully and methodically. People may need help for a variety of reasons, and each target group has its own method and approach. Different categories of patients who may have to deal with an activity supervisor are people with a physical or mental disability, people with psychiatric problems, (problem) youth and older people, who may or may not have dementia. Various activities that can be organized by an activity supervisor are, for example, making music, drawing, painting or crafts. To be able to work as an activity supervisor, it is important to be patient. The activity supervisor must also be able to empathize with the patients. The activities will often be carried out in groups with various colleagues and possible volunteers. Nowadays, it is common for patients to go to a specially equipped center, such as an activity center, where specialist activity supervisors work, who can have different training courses depending on the target group. For example, working with the mentally handicapped will require a different education than working with the elderly. In general, an activity supervisor will organize self-care activities, relaxation activities or educational activities.
As an activity supervisor, the most important task is to give people useful suitable daytime activities, in which not only the giving of daytime activities is central. In most cases, it is also the intention that people learn to be as independent as possible within their living environment, by organizing appropriate activities. Depending on the target group, an activity supervisor, together with residential counselors or care coordinators, can also draw up an activity plan or rehabilitation plan that suits the people concerned. The work of an activity supervisor can be regarded as important activities because giving useful daytime activities, such as by organizing activities, helps people. Because an activity supervisor can work with different types of target groups, there are also different types of activities, which can differ per target group. As an activity supervisor, you are generally also responsible for guiding any volunteers and caregivers. Working together with general supervisors also occurs regularly as an activity supervisor. In addition, an activity supervisor regularly has to deal with other specialists. Think, for example, of AVG doctors, general practitioners, nurses, psychologists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and social workers.
WHAT DOES AN ACTIVITY SUPERVISOR DO
An activity supervisor is briefly responsible for organizing and supervising appropriate activities. Think, for example, of crafts, painting, singing and making music with the residents. An activity supervisor is also responsible for simple care actions, such as helping people eat and supporting people while walking. Other important activities include observing residents, keeping track of inventory and reporting findings. As described earlier, the substantive activities of an activity supervisor can differ per target group. The profession of activity supervisor therefore occurs in practice in different ways. In all cases, this concerns people with physical, mental or social problems.
WHAT ARE LEARNING ACTIVITIES
Learning activities relates to educational activities. Think, for example, of giving computer lessons, manners, general development or independently shopping. Learning activities are often focused on the person and can therefore differ per person. Learning activities are generally strongly focused on personal development and on increasing self-confidence.
WHAT ARE LEISURE ACTIVITIES
Relaxation activities are general activities, such as performing a hobby, music lessons, outings, sports or painting. Relaxation activities can be given in groups or individually. Leisure activities are mainly about creative and recreational activities. Relaxation activities are often aimed at preventing boredom, by performing a hobby or other activity.
WHAT ARE EMPLOYMENT ACTIVITIES
Employment activities are aimed at making and/or delivering certain products and services. Think, for example, of simple assembly work, garden maintenance, animal care, packing work and simple administrative work. Work activities are aimed at structure, strengthening social feeling, working together and preparing for a job outside the institution.
WHAT ARE SELF-CARE ACTIVITIES
Self-care activities are strongly focused on maintaining independence. Think, for example, of cooking, washing, ironing and being able to go to the toilet independently. Self-care activities are important to maintain or strengthen people's self-esteem. Self-care activities can further relate to all general activities that people may have to deal with. Think, for example, of being able to use public transport independently or of cleaning the living environment yourself.
WHAT DOES AN ACTIVITY SUPERVISOR DO:
TRAINING TO BECOME AN ACTIVITY SUPERVISOR
In order to be able to work as an activity supervisor, a training course such as the MBO social care course will have to be followed. There are also training opportunities at HBO level, but these usually go beyond just supervising activities. The MBO programmes are usually aimed at social care and the HBO programme at, for example, social pedagogical assistance and cultural and social education. During the MBO social care course, you will learn, among other things, how to support and guide adults with a disability, create a safe and cozy living environment, guide and stimulate adults during activities and support the personal care of the clients. In addition, there are also plenty of external training institutes where you can follow a course. Accounting is also important as an entrepreneur.
COMPANIES WHERE AN ACTIVITY SUPERVISOR CAN BE EMPLOYED
An activity supervisor can work for different institutions. Think, for example, of care for the disabled, youth care, elderly care, home care, hospitals and mental health care. In addition, an activity supervisor can work within a prison or boarding school. An activity supervisor can also work as an entrepreneur for various clients. In some cases, an activity supervisor can also act as a sleep watch.
COMPETENCES ACTIVITY SUPERVISOR
As an activity supervisor, you are first and foremost a creative person, and you always come up with fun activities that fit the target group. It will also help enormously as an activity supervisor if you are a cheerful figure yourself and know how to get the other people on board in a spontaneous way. Communication and good listening are also important competencies because not everyone is interested in the same activities. As an activity supervisor, you try to come up with activities that suit everyone. Methodical working is also important as an activity supervisor. The methodical work relates to the systematic and goal-oriented work. Generally important words are inspiration, cooperation, stress resistance, energy, flexibility, passion, sensitivity, helpful and empathy.
LABOUR MARKET PERSPECTIVE AND CAREER OPPORTUNITIES AS AN ACTIVITY SUPERVISOR
As an activity supervisor, it is usually not very difficult to find work. There are many institutions that are only too happy to hire an activity supervisor to entertain their clients. In order to be able to grow as an activity supervisor, it is important to specialize in certain target groups, such as elderly people with dementia, or to follow a further education. Healthcare is all about the right training to be able to grow. For example, an activity supervisor who has additional training can grow into a job coach or therapist. A job as a care manager can also be possible, depending on your own competencies and training.
TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT AND SALARY ACTIVITY SUPERVISOR
The exact terms of employment as an activity supervisor are difficult to indicate because there are many different types of institutions and levels where you can carry out your work. As an activity supervisor, it may be that you not only work during the day but also work in the evening, for example. The salary as an activity supervisor with an MBO education will usually be somewhere between 1800 and 2700 euros gross per month, depending on the age and years of service. There are also quite a lot of activity supervisors who do not work full-time and will therefore earn less. As an activity supervisor with a higher professional education, you will usually earn a lot more because it will of course also be a job with more responsibilities.
The content on this page has been automatically translated from the Dutch language. For this reason, texts and videos on this page may contain small errors.
Lesen Sie diese Informationen auf Aktivitatsleiter auf Deutsch.
Lea esta información sobre Supervisor de actividades en español.
Lees deze informatie over Activiteitenbegeleider in het Nederlands.
Mijnzzp.nl