A Day In The Life: Perham Living Household Coordinator

At Perham Living, we believe that life should be full of connection, comfort, and choice. That’s why we’ve created Perham Living to be a place that feels more like a vibrant small town than a traditional nursing home.

Our unique household model divides the community into six cozy households, each home to 16 residents with a dedicated Household Coordinator and a team of caregivers. This model fosters deeper relationships, personalized care, and a true sense of belonging. Residents and staff become like family, sharing meals, stories, and everyday moments.

Meet Rachel Tumberg, Household Coordinator 

Rachel Tumberg is the Household Coordinator for Burlington House. “There’s a lot of aspects to the household coordinator position, but the main one is to make sure the residents have a great quality of life. As a Household Coordinator, I work with residents, assist with activities, supervise nursing assistants and trained medication aides, and collaborate with social services. We do a little bit of everything,“ she says.

Key responsibilities of a Household Coordinator include:

■        Fostering a warm, home-like atmosphere

■        Guiding and supporting staff in developing routines that honor each resident’s individual preferences

■        Supervise certified nursing assistants (CNA), including hiring, training, and mentoring

■        Provide psychosocial assessments, care planning, documentation, and participation in care conferences with residents

■        Lead household activity planning

■        Serve as a liaison among residents, families, and care teams

What’s a typical day like?

Rachel starts her day by checking in with the nursing staff and reviewing reports to identify any issues she needs to be aware of. Some days she has meetings or assists with activities. If the nursing assistants need help, she will step in. She may have meetings with the residents or may be taking them to an appointment. “There’s just a lot of different things that could be going on. Really, there is no typical day,“ she says with a laugh.

Best Part of her Job

“There are only 16 residents within Burlington, so we get to know our residents very well. I first meet a new resident as part of the admission process. There are nursing home requirements to do quality of life and mood assessments. I do this by meeting with the residents so I really get to know them. Our offices are right within the household, so we’re always available. We build really great relationships,“ she says.

 If Rachel is having a bad day, the residents cheer her up. One resident, whom she is close to, leaves little funny messages in her office that brighten her day. Sometimes the residents need Rachel for emotional support, and just knowing that she is there for them brings her joy.

“Gardening is one of the many activities we do. It just made my day when one of the residents named a plant after me. She told her daughter, ‘that’s Rachel‘ and I looked over and she’s pointing at the plant,“ laughs Rachel.

She also builds strong relationships with the residents’ family members. “I get to know the residents later in life, so I don’t know their whole story. It’s great to get to know the families and hear the great stories they share about their mom or dad. For residents who have memory loss, it’s wonderful to hear their history, what their job was, and what they used to be like,“ she says.

What makes her job challenging

“Because we build strong relationships with the residents, it’s hard when a member of our household passes away. As far as work is concerned, I get pulled in a lot of directions, so I need to make sure I prioritize throughout my day,“ she explains.

What got her interested in the job

Rachel started working at Perham Living as a nursing assistant in the transitional care unit. After two years, a job as a Household Coordinator became available. “I was nervous to apply, but I was looking to grow and for a job with more responsibility. I’ve been a Household Coordinator for seven years now,“ she remembers.  

What she likes about working for Perham Living

“I am pretty partial, but Perham Living has always been really, really great to me as a person, as an employee. They’ve always treated me super well. The people are so great, and it’s such a great team. We’ve got our activities department, social services, and our nursing staff, who are phenomenal. There’s always somebody there for you, and we all work hard to make it great for the residents,“ Rachel says.

“I didn’t need a degree for this job. I’ve gotten great on-the-job training, and there is always somebody to ask if you need help or have any questions. They’ve always been encouraging,“ explains Rachel.

What makes Perham Living Special?

“Perham Living is more geared towards the residents and what they want than most other nursing homes. Everyone is here for the residents, and everyone is trying to make it great for them. And that’s truly from administrative to social services to the activities department to the floor staff.  It’s always about the resident. If a resident has a request, we will go out of our way to make it happen. If someone doesn’t know how to make it happen, they’re going to find someone within the building that does or make phone calls, and they’re going to figure it out for them. It’s a different culture for living,“ she says with a smile.

“We’ve got amazing staff members that work with our residents every single day and make sure that they have what they need and things are done the way that the residents want them. I can’t say enough good about them. We’ve got a really great crew, and they are a large part of what makes this place so special, and truly a home,” Rachel says.

Explore the various positions available at Perham Living and Perham Health here: perhamhealth.org/careers/.