How To Become A Life Enrichment Director: What It Is and Career Path

What is a life enrichment director and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Senior living facilities not only make sure that residents are healthy and well cared for, they often have additional programming to enrich the lives of residents, no matter their needs. The life enrichment director is in charge of organizing and managing programs that help residents maintain important skills and lead fulfilling lives.

The life enrichment director takes care of the logistical matters that allow programming to take place, such as managing the budget, hiring qualified staff, and working with medical and wellness staff. They also use their creativity and exuberance to develop activity ideas and work with residents.

Working with senior residents, especially with those in memory care, is not easy, and it takes preparation to become a life enrichment director. Many have bachelor's or master's degrees in psychology or a related field. However, many employers do not think diplomas are important and practical experience with patients is valuable more than a degree.

ScoreLife Enrichment DirectorUS Average

Salary

3.3

Avg. Salary $42,073

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

9.1

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

9.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.67%

Asian 5.12%

Black or African American 11.10%

Hispanic or Latino 15.51%

Unknown 5.58%

White 62.02%

Gender

female 85.04%

male 14.96%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress level

9.1

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.9

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.5

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a life enrichment director

Explore life enrichment director education requirements

Most common life enrichment director degrees

Bachelor's

63.2 %

Associate

14.5 %

Master's

10.4 %

Start to develop specific life enrichment director skills

Skills	Percentages
Customer Service	14.39%
Independent Living	12.37%
Rehabilitation	11.38%
Community Events	11.04%
Term Care	9.98%

Complete relevant life enrichment director training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New life enrichment directors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a life enrichment director based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real life enrichment director resumes.

Gain additional life enrichment director certifications

Life enrichment director certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific life enrichment director certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for life enrichment directors include Activity Director Certified (ADC) and Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA).

More About Certifications

Research life enrichment director duties and responsibilities

Manage staff and volunteer recruitment, resident assessments, charting, MDS documentation and program implementation.
Manage comprehensive regulatory documentation, including assessments, MDS and progress notes.
Manage resident and facility accounts, budgets, social security applications, and Medicare and Medicaid benefits.
Provide strong leadership and guidance to staff for general programs, events and facility maintenance.

Get life enrichment director experience

Generally, it takes 2-4 years to become a life enrichment director. The most common roles before becoming a life enrichment director include activities director, internship team lead and certified nursing assistant.

Prepare your life enrichment director resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your life enrichment director resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a life enrichment director resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable life enrichment director resume templates

Build a professional life enrichment director resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your life enrichment director resume.