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Nursing Homes, Retirement Communities Hiring For Roles Needed To Keep Residents Safe

CHICAGO (CBS)-- Many assisted living facilities, nursing homes and retirement communities are taking extra measures to keep their residents safe.

This new need due to COVID-19 is creating a new job opportunities. In the northwest suburbs, thermometer screeners are in high demand.

We talked to staff at Friendship Village Retirement Community in Schaumburg where they are hiring for thermometer screeners and more.

Jill Steco, the director of Lifestyles Friendship Village, described the new normal inside this continuing care retirement community.

She said many of their staff including upper management have had plenty of additional duties, some they have never done before.

For example, the chef now has more orders on his plate and it's all hands on deck needed to get the food delivered door-to-door.

"It's become ever apparent that we need to allow our staff to get some time off and get away from work, so we've started hiring temperature screeners part time for nights and weekends so we can give our staff some time off," HR Director Josh Flaim said.

The pay is for temperature screens is $15 dollars and they are responsible for one entrance where all the deliveries, drop offs and staff enter. A reading is taken and ten questions are asked. Friendship Village ,which has had a few cases of coronavirus, is also looking to hire addition part-time help to make deliveries to the more than 900 residents at the facilities.

Most of the training is done virtually and staff is given all the necessary PPE.

"It's a great place to work we do a lot of fun things and try to show appreciation to our staff," Steco said.

Jobs openings can be found on the Lifestyles Friendship Village website. 

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