Inside Athena: Regional Systems Dir. of Social Services Supporting Residents and Staff Through Senior Care
FARMINGTON, C.T. — Jain Jose has found a place within Athena Health Care Systems where he is able to both impact the lives of residents and families, and be a support system for Social Workers across the company’s managed centers.
Joining Sharon Health Care Center in 2017 as a Social Worker, he was soon promoted to the director of the social services department. In 2020, when the pandemic hit the state, he moved to Torrington Speciality Care, which was a dedicated COVID-19 recovery center opened by Athena. He continued to help Sharon and other centers in the state. Once the Torrington center ceased operations, he moved back to Sharon and took on a regional role in social services, overseeing six Athena-managed centers. That soon expanded to all managed centers in the state and, more recently, Athena’s managed centers in Rhode Island.
“What’s kept me for seven years… it’s the people around me. I have a great group of people that I work with,” the Regional Systems Director of Social Services for Connecticut and Rhode Island said.
Jose holds a bachelor’s and master’s in social work and had worked in education before switching to health care. He lived in India before moving to the States with his now-wife. His connection to Sharon started before he began working at the center. His daughter’s pediatric office was close to the center, and he would often find peace at the gazebo on Sharon’s property during tough times. When the job opened up, he knew it was meant to be.
Since joining healthcare, residents’ rights come first for him and his teams.
“Seniors are very vulnerable,” he said. “There’s a purpose when I’m working with the elderly. Oftentimes we are meeting them in a crisis moment where they’re coming to us because they have an issue, they have a problem… I feel we can provide solutions so that’s a sense of gratification for me.”
Sometimes Jose will even see residents who discharged in the community, enjoying life, and it makes him happy to see their successful journey.
He understands navigating the healthcare industry can be a challenge for residents and families who have yet to do so. He wants to be able to guide them and educate them on the best way to do so.
“I have a family member who is in a nursing home as well so knowing what the elderly population goes through without the resources and help to navigate the waters, being there and seeing that smile on their face when you provide that support to them,” he said. “A lot of them are very unaware of what’s available to them, what services are available to them, what their rights are.”
He treats the residents and their loved ones as if they’re his own family. The family approach is given not only to residents and families, but to the social services teams across Connecticut and Rhode Island that Jose helps.
“When I work with somebody, I try to create a family culture. We’re not independent, we’re interdependent,” he said. “I provide a lot of support to Social Workers, Directors of Nursing, Administrators, ancillary staff… it could be anybody.”
When new Social Workers are brought on board, he wants them to have a road map of where they can find resources and information. In addition, he is there to support them and follow up to ensure they are both comfortable and competent in the work they are doing.
He notes support from his supervisor, Judy Hyland, Athena’s Chief Operating Officer, as another reason he has stayed with Athena for seven years. He’s also been able to grow within the company and he finds happiness with that.
“Whether it be updating policies, procedures… make sure we’re up to regulations, I’m always checking to see what is the best standard of practice in the industry that we can adopt to our daily interactions,” he said. “Resident care comes first so I focus on what can we do to make sure residents and families that are coming to our centers seeking our treatments and services, to make sure their needs are met.”
Follow Athena Health Care Systems on X and Facebook. Interested in a career with Athena? Click here!