We have up to 19 residents at Merry Glen who count on us to help them enjoy a healthy lifestyle, provide stimulating activities, journey out in the community, consume nutritious meals, and generally have a safe and welcoming home.
Residents have a wide range of disabilities-some are very high functioning and some are much less so. This helps make Merry Glen a place where people are not defined by what they can't do, but by what they can. Turnover is very low among our residents. Team members get to know them well. Within a few weeks of working at Merry Glen you will come to understand their care needs as well as their human needs and desires.
Although we prefer to hire people with experience working with those with Developmental Disabilities, it is not essential. A caring heart, an honest and reliable work ethic, and the ability to participate in a team environment are all more important to us than technical skills that can be taught.
Working at Merry Glen means being mindful of the fact that the parents and other family members of our residents are counting on us to treat them with care, dignity, and respect. It is up to us to do so. We work for the residents and their families.

On our DAY (7am-3pm) and SWING (3pm-11pm) shifts we typically have one shift leader and three direct care staff. Shift leaders pass meds and are responsible for the activities on the floor. Direct care staff work closely with 6-7 residents providing assistance with Activities of Daily Living, recreation, performing range of motion and other rehabilitation activities, and generally "hanging" with the gang. Although currently not all our direct care staff are NA-Rs, our goal is to have them all at that level.
During NOC shift (11pm-7am) we have one shift leader and one direct care. During this shift assistance is given throughout the night for some toileting needs, rounds, cleaning, preparing the early risers with dressing and breakfast, and responding to other issues as they arise.
We count on people to be here. Since there is not a huge staff, the loss of a single team member during a shift can have a negative impact on the care our residents receive. For this reason reliability is as important as anything else about working at Merry Glen.

We also count on staff to make Merry Glen a better place to work and live every day. If you see something that needs changing, if you have a suggestion, if you want to try something new--bring it up! Nobody knows your job better than you, and Merry Glen is the kind of place where you can find a comfortable, challenging, and creative environment to stretch yourself and be encouraged to be your best.
We have weekly Quality Assurance (QA) meetings at 1:30 on Mondays. All shift leaders are expected to attend, and any other staff members who would like to are invited. At QA we look at problems that keep coming up in the building and problem solve to make things better. QA piggy backs on our weekly Resident Council meetings in which we discuss concerns our residents have that may need attention.
We don't have much patience for gossip, backbiting, negative thinking, etc. If you see a problem, it's best to come up with a solution, either alone or with your team, instead of making it worse. Merry Glen is not a good place for whiners, victims, and crybabies.A few Other Things
We are a drug-free environment. New hires will be tested in their first week, and everyone is subject to random testing on an ongoing basis. Testing is also done when there is cause.
We expect a two-week notice when people leave Merry Glen. We respect your need to give the same notice before you would join us if you are currently employed. If you like, we will try to "double you up" during that two week period so that you can get your initial 24 hour training period completed while you are still working your current job and before joining Merry Glen as a regular team member.
There is a training wage for the first 24 hours of work (usually 3 days) while we get to know you and you get to know Merry Glen. After that time, you will be paid on the regular scale. Pay days are every other Thursday. After 90 days you can qualify for our health insurance program and Merry Glen will pay part of the cost.
Opportunities for voluntary overtime regularly present themselves, so if you are flexible and able to work on short notice, you are likely to pick up some extra money that way as well.

Sound interesting? Well, the next thing to do is fill out an application and criminal background check request and mail it in or hand it to someone on the staff. We will then decide the best time to get together for an interview and see if we have a fit. Not all shifts are available all the time, of course, so you may want to "get your foot in the door" by starting as a casual, on-call employee. We would put you through the 24 hour initial training, then call you when needed. You can always say "no", of course. But it would be a good way to learn what we are about.
If this doesn't sound like a good place for you, we thank you for taking the time to learn more about us and wish you the best of luck in your search.