It's Recreation Therapy Month...what exactly is rec therapy?

One of the top questions we get about our programs at Insight is “what do they do all day?” It’s a natural question, since many of us have images of seniors playing bingo all day in our heads! At Insight Memory Care Center, we work hard to ensure that participants are engaged in a wide variety of activities at all levels of our programs – which is where we depend on our fantastic recreation therapists!

According to the American Therapeutic Recreation Association (ATRA), “Recreational therapy is a systematic process that utilizes recreation and other activity-based interventions to address the assessed needs of individuals with illnesses and/or disabling conditions, as a means to psychological and physical health, recovery and well-being. It is a treatment service designed to restore, remediate and rehabilitate a person’s level of functioning and independence in life activities, to promote health and wellness as well as reduce or eliminate the activity limitations and restrictions to participation in life situations caused by an illness or disabling condition.” This is certainly more than just playing bingo! Early stage program assistant, Liv Powell shares:

"What I love most about working for Insight is being able to make those meaningful connections with the participants and their families. It's also fulfilling to see how much the participants enjoy the mentally stimulating and exciting activities. They always walk away at the end of the day saying how much they love and appreciate the dedication, commitment, and effort we put into the programs. The families and participants never hesitate to make sure they express their gratitude for what we do!"

Each month, our recreation therapists follow a calendar of activities that stimulate cognition, creativity and expression, provide exercise and movement, social engagement, sensory stimulation, and opportunities for reflection. Activities are geared towards individual participant interests, and modified for our early, moderate, and late stage participants so that everyone can be successful. Overall, “Recreational therapists seek to reduce depression, stress and anxiety in their clients and help them build confidence and socialize in their community,” shares ATRA.

 "What I like the most about working at Insight is that every day is a new opportunity to make an impact on a participant's life. I enjoy seeing the participants being their authentic selves: smiling, laughing, and full of the joy they've always had. Anytime I can be a part of their happiness, I feel fulfilled,” shares Jimmy Porter, recreation assistant in the day center.

Nancy Bishop, early stage activity assistant shares this sentiment also,

“I really enjoy being part of this community, getting to know each participant.  We really laugh and have fun every day. It feels good to contribute to their lives and give them the opportunity to be social.”

Recreation therapists are an integral part of what makes Insight so special! Thank you for your amazing work each and every day!