Recreation Therapy- An Overview

Introduction :

Recreation is essential for everyone to keep balance and relax in their lives. In addition, it is a way to participate and connect with others for people with cognitive, physical, social, and emotional limitations. It is a voluntary activity carried out during leisure time, for pleasure, and to satisfy personal needs. It helps to regain independence in the community. It improves productivity and quality of life for people with disabilities. It also addresses cultural and art activities delivered by recreational therapists.

What Is Recreation Therapy?

Recreation therapy is a process that utilizes activity-based recreation or intervention to address the needs of individuals with disabling conditions or illnesses as a means to physical, mental, and emotional health. It is also known as therapeutic recreation. The Menninger brothers first coined recreation therapy. Then, they introduced the inclusion of recreational therapy to treat a person with a mental disability.

What Are the Types of Recreation?

1. Active Recreation: This involves playing and team participation, such as in cricket, soccer, and baseball.

2. Passive Recreation: This is a recreation without involving fields such as biking, hiking, horse riding, and mountain climbing.

What Are Forms of Recreational Activities?

• Motor Form: It consists of fundamental (games such as football and hockey) and accessory forms (dancing and play activities).

• Sensory Form: It can be either auditory (listening to the concert) or visual (looking at motion pictures).

• Intellectual Form: This involves intellectual activities and the use of the mind (writing, debating, and reading).

What Are the Benefits of Recreational Therapy?

Recreational therapy has therapeutic benefits such as :

• Physical health maintenance is achieved by reducing stress and depression.

• Growth and personal development.

• It provides focused and active societal and healthcare system outcomes.

• It helps develop skills that are beneficial at home and in the community.

• It offers cost-effective treatment in small and large group settings.

• It reduces the effect of primary and secondary disabilities.

• It helps identify and utilize the skills and makes the person independently functional.

• Improved conversational skills and increased cooperation.

• Increased attention span and sound immune system.

• Reduced insomnia or difficulty sleeping.

• Better body image perception.

• It improves the symptoms of depression.

• It helps in strengthening social connections.

• It improves functional independence after an injury.

• It helps in relieving anxiety for children who are hospitalized.

Who Provides Recreational Therapy Service?

Recreational therapy is provided by certified therapeutic recreation specialists (CTRS).

Who Are Recreation Therapists?

Recreation therapists are certified practitioners who:

• Design specific therapeutic goals.

• Plan intervention program.

• Individually assess each patient.

• Implement safe and effective evidence-based recreational therapy intervention.

• Manage recreation therapy practice.

• Evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention program.

• Document interventions that provide patient progress.

What Does a Recreational Therapist Do?

The recreational therapist uses different forms of community-based intervention and techniques to improve cognitive, emotional, leisure, and social needs. They assist and work with the client and family to incorporate community resources and specific interests into therapy to achieve the best outcomes that are useful in real-life situations.

What Are the Steps of Recreational Therapy?

• Assessment: Working with the client to identify a need, health status, and strength to provide data for interventions.

• Planning: Goals are formulated, priorities are set, programs, strategies, and objectives are developed, approaches are specified, and means of evaluation are determined.

• An Intervention: This involves a recreation therapist's actual execution of the program plan.

• Evaluation: The objectives and goals are appraised in this step.

What Are the Places Where Recreational Therapy Can Be Performed?

Recreation therapy can be performed in various settings, such as

• Schools.

• Hospitals.

• Skilled nursing facilities.

• Assisted living facilities.

• Sports program.

• Inpatient and outpatient health facilities and programs.

• Community centers.

• Correctional facilities.

• Substance use facilities.

• Special recreation association.

• Homeless shelter.

• Detention centers.

• Veterans administration.

• Long-term care homes.

What Types of Activities Are Offered by Recreation Therapy?

The various activities offered by recreational facilities are:

• Creative Arts: It is based on art intervention that helps manage behavior, nurture self-awareness, increase self-esteem, reduce anxiety, and develop social skills.

• Music Program: It is a music therapy that involves reducing stress, improving self-confidence, enhancing skills, elevating mood, and improving self-expression.

• Physical Activity: This involves sports and yoga participation that triggers various chemical reactions in the body, improves mood, reduces stress, and provides happiness.

• Games and Puzzles: Such as jigsaw puzzles provide a sense of socializing and laughter that leads to the development of a healthy attitude.

• Dance and Creative Moment: Provides the connection with music and makes the person physically active.

• Drama: Provides opportunities to express creativity and talent.

• Outdoor Activity: Helps learn new skills, develop self-esteem, and gain independence. Outdoor activities involve hiking, swimming, and rope climbing.

• Gardening: Helps to keep the person alive and lighten the creativity.

• Creative Writing: Helps to find the hidden artist and promote creative thinking.

• Cooking Classes: Provide a fresh mind and promotes the person's talent.

What Types of Conditions Are Suited to Recreational Therapy?

Recreational therapy benefits people who are :

• Recovering from a stroke.

• Rehabilitation from an injury, surgery, or illness.

• Feeling isolated or depressed.

• Working to improve motor skills.

• Learning to carry out the activities of daily living independently.

• Being treated for cancer.

• Experiencing worry or anxiety in a hospital setting.

• Developing the ability to express their emotions and thoughts.

• Recovering from a substance use disorder.

What Are Approaches in Recreation Therapy?

There are various approaches in recreation therapy, such as :

• Recreation Services: Provides recreation to people with disabilities to experience benefits, leisure, and a system for helping an individual reach an optimal level of well-being and health.

• Therapeutic Approach: It is a curative approach that attempts to ease and lessen the effects of disabilities and illness, which can help improve functional capacities.

• Umbrella or Combined Approach: It is a recreation as a continuation of activities and recreation services for purposeful change.

• Leisure Activity Approach: This operates leisure activities therapeutically and engages the individual for participation with the best dissemination on the benefit of leisure awareness education.

Conclusion:

Recreation therapy is not about looking at the capabilities of the individuals but the abilities that make the individual who they are. It seeks to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression and increase self-esteem and self-confidence. It helps children with cerebral palsy to expand and develop cognitive and physical abilities when participating in recreational activities.