Recreation Therapists are expected to be a Jack (or Jill) of all trades. We need to have an understanding of a variety of leisure pursuits, to ensure our clients’ needs are being met in the best way possible. I have been asked so many times and have seen on many sites ‘What certifications can I…
Adult Day Care: What is it and why is it important for our senior population?
I recently moved to Philadelphia Pennsylvania, and accepted a position as a Recreation Director for a geriatric daycare program. I have a strong passion for older adults, and took this opportunity to expand my scope of practice, able to be a department head, and really dig my heels into recreation management in a geriatric setting….
Preparing for your future in Recreation Therapy the ‘SMART’ way
By Tina Watson, CTRS When the new year arrives many of us reevaluate our lives and our careers. We make goals or New Year’s Resolutions. For me this included finding a way to make my work and home life more streamlined and organized. So, I bought a new planner that has daily, monthly and weekly…
Work Smarter Not Harder with The Activity Professionals Workbook
Take a peek into this months guest blog entry from Shelley Evans from Dementia Resources of the Fingerlakes LLC Shelley Evans is the Founder and CEO of Dementia Resources of the Finger Lakes, LLC. She has 29 years of experience working with adults with mental health and dementia-related diagnosis. A Board-Certified Music Therapist, Board-Certified Activity…
Caring for Ourselves: How to Combat Caregiver Burnout
Tips, suggestions, and a cool new service in California aiming to curb the stresses of caring for others through the love of leisure and recreational pursuits. The demand put on caregivers – whether it is your career, family obligation or otherwise is a tiresome task, and can be burdensome at times. As front line healthcare…
Budget Friendly Programming Purchases
As we can all attest to, budgets are always tight and programming ideas are forever in need. I compiled a few of my favorite budget friendly programming “must-haves” recreation/activity related books that have aided me through my work in long term care on a meager budget. 1. Scratch and Solve Hangman – $5.56Get it HereFor a…
Volunteer Management 101: What you need for successful volunteer services
Whether you have 1, 10, or 500 volunteers for your organization, you need to know the ins and outs of how to manage unpaid staff. Here are the top 5 things you’ll need, to excel at volunteer services. 1. Actively understand the definition of a volunteer! This might seem simple and already implied, but for organizations…
On your mark, get set…Go for Gold with the Geri Olympics
When you think of geriatrics the first thing you think of is athletics, right? Well for Ted Muilenburg that’s exactly what he envisioned over 30 years ago. I had the incredible opportunity to pick the brain of the Executive Director for the Institute of Geri Olympics and Active Living. This organization is one a kind,…
Get SMART about your CEUs!
Have you heard the phrase “Work smarter, not harder”? We all strive to get more done, be more professional, be more effective as recreation therapists and still maintain a life outside of work. Now you can gain all of this through accessing NCTRC Pre-Approved CEU online courses at S.M.A.R.T. CEU’s Hub. Courses are available in a…
Geriatric Therapeutic Coloring: Childish or Genius?
Adult coloring has become a trend over the past few years, with thousands of companies developing intricate detailed coloring books for teens and adults. But, do we know the benefits of what “coloring” can provide? And, what about the elderly population? Has the market advanced enough to provide for the needs of an already unserved…