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Improving lives through therapeutic recreation

Recreation helps boost mind, body and spirit among older population
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Recreational therapy recognizes the importance of recreation and leisure to quality of life.

For many older adults, the fastest-growing age group in Canada, isolation and loneliness are burdensome realities that can have serious detrimental effects on their physical and mental health. That’s why organizations like Retirement Concepts know their therapeutic recreation programs need to provide the best possible care.

Therapeutic recreation, also known as recreational therapy, recognises the importance of recreation and leisure and the integral part they play on one’s quality of life. It is well documented that therapeutic recreation has many benefits that include but are not limited to: improving physical and cognitive abilities, enhancing general well-being, fostering greater involvement in the community, increasing confidence and self-esteem, and strengthening relationships and interpersonal skills.

For individuals with physical, mental, social or emotional limitations, recreational therapy offers them the opportunity to sustain important skills and behaviours that will then enable them to engage in quality leisure and recreation experiences in the most favourable of ways.

The communities that exist within Retirement Concepts have therapeutic recreational practitioners on staff who are highly skilled in developing and implementing recreational programs to ensure all of their seniors lead fulfilling lives.

At Retirement Concepts, the emphasis continues to be on the well-being of seniors. This means highly skilled practitioners work with family members to determine the needs and goals of their seniors and engage them in recreational activities that help their physical, intellectual, emotional, spiritual and social being.

This group of trained therapeutic recreational practitioners offers a great deal of services determined by family interviews conducted early on. Sometimes the service will simply be starting conversations that prompt involvement in group activities. Other times therapeutic recreational practitioners end up organizing and conducting programs, including art and music therapy, which are known to boost cognitive function. Mind sports such as chess and bridge, requiring a great deal of strategic concentration, are among the popular program picks for stimulating cognitive function.

Therapeutic recreational practitioners also recognize the importance of physical exercise planning and ensure the seniors at Retirement Concepts have physical movement, where even light exercise is known to have a positive effect on conditions like arthritis and osteoporosis, incorporated into their day.

For older adults, therapeutic recreation can play a huge role in their day-to-day lives and help them stay connected with society by enabling them to continue to do activities that keep them active, social and ultimately fulfilled.

Guildford Seniors Village in Surrey offers Therapeutic Recreation as part of their many services. Call today at 604-582-0808 or to find out more visit retirementconcepts.com

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Even light exercise is known to have a positive effect for seniors.