The Director reports to the Administrator of McCormick Home. She/he works with the AOS Nursing and Recreation Team Leaders to oversee the day to day functioning of the day program and with the Social Workers around the delivery of Family Support Programs. Program development, evaluation, performance and financial management are part of the role.

The Recreation Program Specialists are responsible for the development of specialized recreational programs to meet the individual needs of the 130 to 150 clients registered in the day program at any one time. This requires knowledge of the day program client; their interests and levels of ability. Each recreation staff has a university degree or a college diploma in recreation programming. Each day program client has a “primary worker” assigned to them from the recreation group, who is responsible for monitoring the client’s changing needs, updating their care plans and providing feedback to the care team and caregivers as needed.

The Nursing group includes 3 levels of nursing: A Registered Nurse (RN), who is the Team Leader and supervisor for the nursing staff, Registered Practical Nurses (RPN), who administer medication and provide foot care and Personal Support Workers (PSW) who assist with meals, personal care and bathing as needed. All nurses work together to meet the clients’ social/ emotional needs and monitor changes in their health status. Concerns are promptly reported to the caregivers.

The Social Workers are university trained (at a Bachelor or Masters level) professionals who are registered with the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers. They work closely with the day program staff in integrating the clients into the program and then monitoring their functioning throughout the clients’ stay in the program. However, their primary role is to assist the caregivers in a variety of ways; through education, supportive counseling, referrals and planning for the future. Their services are not restricted to day program users.

The Administrative Assistants not only provide many supportive secretarial functions to the Team, but also work closely with families in areas such as arranging transportation for day program clients, billing, booking weekend respite and welcoming and directing visitors at the reception desk.

Volunteers are a vital part of the AOS service delivery profile. They come from various backgrounds; they include students, retired persons, crafts people, musicians and entertainers, who donate their time to enrich the lives of the AOS day program clients. Some stay for a school term or a year, others stay committed and engaged with the program for many years. Their contribution is invaluable.