ANHA Activity & Social Service Auxiliary President Endya Gibbs
The Alabama Nursing Home Association recently sat down with ANHA Activity & Social Service Auxiliary President Endya Gibbs to ask three questions about her plans for 2014. Ms. Gibbs is Social Services Director at Cherry Hill Rehab & HealthCare Center in Birmingham.
Question One: You’ve been a part of the Activity & Social Service Auxiliary Board as a regional director, officer and now president. How does it feel to be selected by your peers to lead this important group?
Ms. Gibbs: It feels great to represent the activity and social services departments. Being a social services director, I know our jobs can be very challenging. It is helpful to partner with the activity departments to help us tap into the different challenges that are coming up – one of them being younger residents moving into nursing facilities. Being able to come together as one helps us better provide for our residents in the facility. I think it’s going to be a great year.
Question Two: What are your goals for the Auxiliary in 2014?
Ms. Gibbs: My number one goal is to increase attendance at our region meetings. We would like for more facilities to come out and participate. We provide a lot of education and materials during those quarterly meetings, and I think it is helpful. At some meetings, we actually learn from each other. It’s also a good networking opportunity, and I think a lot of people would enjoy being exposed to that.
Question Three: How do the other board members support you in your role as president?
Ms. Gibbs: It is important that we (the board) work together and they are a great support to me as president. One thing that I love about working with this board is that we give great ideas. We also have different directors whether they work in activities or social services that participate in other conventions and meetings and bring those ideas back to us so we are able to share those in our regions. We have a bright group of people that have great ideas that think outside the box and that makes this job a great joy.
Over the years, I’ve had a great opportunity to work with these individuals and I think as president it is going to be even better. By working with them at a different level and getting new ideas, hopefully we’ll be able to meet our goals and perhaps go beyond what we are setting out to do.
