Mercy Retirement and Care Center - Social Service Director

About the role

Mercy Retirement & Care Center has been providing senior care for over 150 years on its lush Oakland campus, offering assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing, and rehabilitation services. The organization emphasizes person‑centered care, respect, integrity, and a collaborative culture that supports both residents and team members. The Social Services Director works to identify residents’ social, psychological, and emotional needs and arrange services to meet those needs, supporting adjustment to condition and community.

Location: 1 Mercy Retirement & Care Center, 3431 Foothill Blvd, Oakland, CA 94601.

Responsibilities

• Identify the social, psychological, and emotional needs of residents and arrange for services to meet those needs.
• Assist residents (including Parkshore) with successful adjustment to their condition and the community.
• Spend time with families and residents in the Health Center; handle documentation, meetings, and related conditions.
• Provide support for special circumstances in Assisted Living at the request of the Health Services Administrator.
• Work with all available resources to arrange services and facilitate residents’ adjustment.
• Make routine contacts with staff and/or residents of the Health Center and Assisted Living as needed.
• Participate in resident admission and discharge; provide necessary documentation.
• Assist with room assignment; identify potential behavior issues and barriers to discharge; develop interventions.
• Interview and write social history, assessments, and care plans for incoming residents; follow up with scheduled meetings and reviews.
• Coordinate transfer of residents between levels of care.
• Actively participate in transitional care meetings.
• Complete and keep current the Social Services portion of the MDS and related RAPs, Care Plan, and quarterly/annual reviews.
• Document and chart care plans, assessments, results, meetings, and changes.
• Meet and counsel residents and families as needed.
• Provide in‑service training to staff and residents.
• Perform administrative functions, record keeping, correspondence, and communications.
• Maintain the Resident Handbook for Health Center and Assisted Living; provide specialized handouts as needed.
• Maintain policies and procedures for the Social Services department.
• Complete Medicare decertification paperwork, including resident/family notification documentation.
• Develop and maintain community resources and contacts.
• Work cooperatively with government regulatory agencies.
• Assist residents with Medicaid/Medicare concerns.
• Participate in weekly Medicare review meetings and update residents and families as needed.
• Keep a log of residents with orders for psychoactive medication; address diagnosis and target behaviors.
• Partner with nursing and other professionals on interventions, including routine dose‑reduction trials to manage behaviors with the lowest possible psychoactive medication dose.
• Maintain current educational credentials and professional certificates.
• Develop goals and objectives annually.
• Develop and maintain