Maureen Coats: Therapeutic Recreation (TR)

When we observe the demographics of today¡¦s society, we notice that there is quite a change in the average age, as well as life expectancy. In 1993, the average life expectancy rose to an amazing 75.5 years, with women living an average of 79 years and men living an average of 72 years (Hawkins, 1996, p. 4). With this gradual rise in age, the idea of therapeutic recreation for the aging population has taken on a significant role. Therapeutic recreation uses recreation and leisure activities to meet the needs of people in order to improve their quality of life. These needs include social, physical, cognitive, emotional, and spiritual. The experience of engaging in recreation is perceived to have therapeutic benefits. Engaging in

There are many career paths that you can take when studying leisure studies/services with one being therapeutic recreation. Therapeutic recreation uses a mix of activity therapy, education and recreation and leisure to help promote the health and well-being of people who require specialised care because of illness or disability. Within the United

It has been brought to the attention of our new Recreational Therapist staff at this facility, that there are not enough programs or accessible information pertaining to leisure resources for our current consumers who are being discharged from the facility. The specific issue we would like to address are solutions for our clients who struggle with PTSD. As an RT our job is to develop a treatment plan/service designed to restore, remediate, recreate, and rehabilitate an individual’s functional abilities and independence. To promote health and wellness as well as reduce or eliminate the barriers to participation in activities and life situations are the major goals as RTs to decrease consumer dependency. As a Recreational Therapist, providing clients with leisure- education is important so patients can be knowledgeable of what resources are available to them (Carter, M., & Van Andel, G. (2011). Without proper local environmental, leisure

As I make my way on this journey that is my life, I realize that I have always believed in the fundamental worth of all humanity and my responsibility as a fellow human being to respect this premise and also to support individuals, as much as I am able, to help unearth it should this basic truth become hidden to them. This is a guiding principle for me and I believe that many of the constructs of the field of Therapeutic Recreation (TR) are congruent with this philosophy. Making the decision to obtain a Therapeutic Recreation Specialization (TRS) degree offered a theoretical rationale in which to further explore the concept of leisure, define my professional philosophy and an opportunity to reflect critically on the field which I have

Everyday so many people are conflicted with injuries that may or may not change their life and find themselves in need of someone to help them to get back on their feet. Recreational therapists are that someone who will be a shoulder for anyone to lean on that needs a little extra support, both figuratively and literally. Every day Recreational therapists are working hard to help people get their life back on track. The mental drive to help people is a big part of what makes this job so incredibly appealing. Recreational therapists must be supportive and patient and kind in order for the treatments to be effective in keeping the patients' happy and feeling taken care of. Being a go getter is such a big part of being

I was nervous at first because this was this was my first field work, and had just started the Therapeutic Recreational program. Nichole Cummins was aware of this and made me comfortable in my new venture at the St. Joseph’s Impatient Rehabilitation Unit. I discussed my goals with her before starting the field work. The unit is on the 4th floor of the main hospital. Files of patients are filed in a secure cabinet. My field work was 60 hours of experience. My goals were to learn about documentation, program planning, and activity modification.

A Career in Athletic Training and a Careers in Recreational Therapy are very different from each other. Athletic trainers are highly qualified; they have multiskilled health care experts who work as a member of a collaborative in the professional medical team. However, they work together with doctors and other healthcare specialists to prevent injury, illness, wellness protection and clinical evaluation. For example, if you become an athletic trainer, the job possibilities are excellent. But, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, this field is projected to grow 21% between 2014 and 2024, much faster than the average for all occupations. In fact, athletic training is identified by the American Medical Association, Health Resources

"Therapeutic Recreation Specialists are special people that not only touch the lives of the individuals we work with but they improve their quality of life by successfully allowing them to overcome barriers, achieve leisure optimally with limited about of assistance," stated Pamela Higginbotham, Brock University Recreation Student. Therapeutic Recreation Specialists have special personalities, by just being with their patients, they are helping them become stronger people. They are immensely impacting the lives of many people with disabilities everyday by just having a fantastic time! (“What Is Therapeutic Recreation?”) Truly, Therapeutic Recreation Specialists need a compassionate heart, a great amount of patience, and a passion for helping people in need.

I accumulated over 100 observation hours in rehabilitation, pediatrics, and post surgery therapy. By interacting with a wide variety of people, these experiences further developed my interpersonal communication skills. From helping children to grasp a pencil, to aiding elder patients recovering from surgery, I understood how OT’s could benefit people of all ages and abilities across a lifespan. I learned hands on how the therapeutic use of everyday activities could help individuals live functional lives through the use of meaningful occupations. By working with individuals who face a challenge, I was able to show compassion and empathy when caring for others, which in turn gave me self-fulfillment in my own

The past two days, I have been truly privileged to attend the 2017 Newfoundland & Labrador Therapeutic Recreation Association Conference. The conference consisted of sessions delivered by those in the field of Therapeutic Recreation and related areas in Newfoundland and Labrador. I was able to attend many sessions involving topics like inclusion, mental health and empowerment, and through which, attained many new skills and perspectives for my future in therapeutic recreation. Before this conference, I did not have a solid idea as to what therapeutic recreation truly looked like in Newfoundland. However, through involvement in sessions, and interaction with other delegates and therapeutic recreation professionals, I was able to broaden my

Occupational therapy is very essential for people with disabilities; this therapy enables them to perform daily activities that were once simple tasks for them. Susan Tracy was one of the activists for occupational therapy. She was able to incorporate her skills and knowledge into the field in order to help clients reach their goals during the early 1900’s. Susan Tracy started off as a nursing instructor and went on to teach nurses occupational therapy.

As a Therapeutic Recreation major, I was given the opportunity to attend courses that educates and prepares me for the future. For instance, courses such Assessment and Documentation, TR Modalities, and Health Promotion through Leisure Education gave me a foundation on how to plan and implement activities, educate the clients using the activities, and modify different activities for different populations. TR in Geriatric Service Settings course and my junior internship helped prepare me for a role in a geriatric setting. Having a junior internship gave me the opportunity to use the skills and techniques that I learned in class towards an actual population. It also allows me to see the importance of social support and client’s motivation. When the client isn’t motivated to participate in certain interventions, a responsibility of a quality of life coordinator and a TR is to communicate with family and friend(s) to develop a solution for the client’s case. With the foundation that Temple University provide and possible future opportunities, I believe I will be able to gain more knowledge and experience in this

The internship that I acquired during the summer of 2010 at the Greenwood Sports and Industrial Rehabilitation Center (GSIRC), allowed me to gain an immeasurable amount of experience during my tenure at this facility. Within this period, the exposure to new concepts within the physical therapy industry allowed me to observe and work hands on with patients of all ages and disabilities that exposed me to various treatment plans and programs to restore client’s mobility. The essential Physical Education and Exercise Science (PEES) courses taken at Lander University were beneficial to my academic knowledgebase, which prepared me and developed me for the opportunity within the physical therapy discipline. Working as

The Recreation and Wellness Intranet Project is assigning from Manage Your Health, Inc. (MYH). This intranet project provides an application on the current Intranet to help employees improve their health.

My teaching philosophy is to create an environment that stimulates learning so that students gain the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities to become proficient professionals. While teaching foundational knowledge is important, there are other essential skills and abilities that students must acquire in order to successfully transition from being a student to becoming a physical therapy professional. These skills and abilities include thinking critically as well as interacting and communicating effectively with patients and other health care practitioners. I emphasize to students that it is imperative to realize the impact of developing a therapeutic rapport with patients while providing quality, patient-centered care to optimize the healing process. Therefore, when deciding what to teach, I not only consider the content presented, but also how I can foster discussions with students so that they can apply information based on varying contextual factors. I also attempt to provide students a framework for how to achieve professional excellence, which I aim to model as I fulfill my roles and responsibilities as a teacher and provider of clinical instruction. This framework is rooted in five central tenets: