Resident Assistants help with simple tasks that people often take for granted like putting on a hat, turning in bed, assisting with laundry, unlocking a door, or filling a glass of water. They also help with transfers from bed to chair and emptying leg bags.

Resident Assistance Program

Our Resident Assistance Program is the distinctive feature of Creative Living. There is an intercom system that connects each apartment to the lobby where a Resident Assistant is on-call 24 hours a day. Their primary purpose is to respond to resident needs – whether to remove a jacket, reach a book, help transfer from bed to wheelchair or to handle a full emergency. They are “on call” for all residents, doing dozens of tasks that assure the comfort and safety of residents. In addition to the rent payment, each resident pays a monthly fee for this service as part of their lease.

Each resident is responsible for having his or her own personal care attendants to provide assistance in getting in and out of bed, in dressing and with personal hygiene. But personal attendants normally spend only a few hours a day with the resident. The Resident Assistants are available the other 20-plus hours a day to help residents. They are also available when personal attendants need help for physically demanding tasks such as transferring a resident from bed to chair.

Many of the Resident Assistants are pursuing health-related careers and view their work at Creative Living as an invaluable opportunity to gain relevant experience in the healthcare field.

The Resident Assistance Program, while providing an invaluable service to the residents, makes up nearly one third of Creative Living’s annual operating budget – over $270,000 per year. Consequently, financial support is always needed to help defray these costs.