Call us at 1-833-252-2737 (TTY 711)

8AM-8PM Monday-Friday

Call us at 1-833-252-2737 (TTY 711)

8AM-8PM Monday-Friday
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Therapeutic Recreation at CenterLight Teamcare

how therapeutic recreation fits into pace

Part of our Interdisciplinary Team series, this blog post is guest-written by Christine Berkner, Regional Director for Day Health Centers at CenterLight Teamcare.



What is the role of Therapeutic Recreation Specialists?

Therapeutic recreation specialists assess participants’ leisure interests—what they’ve always liked to do, what they like to do now—and they help determine how to help them keep doing these things.



What services does the Therapeutic Recreation Department provide to our participants?

Some of the Therapeutic Recreation services we offer at CenterLight Teamcare include:

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Art Therapy

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Music Therapy

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Dance &
Movement Therapy

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Pet Therapy

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Games & Cognitive Challenges

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Trips

How does therapeutic recreation benefit our participants?

A benefit for participants would be their overall health and mental health is improved, they’re engaged in things that they love, they think about the past and learn something new at the same time.

Just like medicine or medical treatment that they may receive from the doctors and nurses, engaging in things that we like to do and interacting with other people makes us happy, keeps our brain sharp, lowers our blood pressure, and contributes to overall mental and physical health.


How does therapeutic recreation benefit caregivers?

For caregivers, it helps give a little respite to know that their loved one is engaged in something positive that’s making them happy. In addition, recreation can be a diversion for people who have behavioral problems or get confused, and it’s something that the participant and caregiver can do together that makes everybody’s life better.


How do Therapeutic Recreation Specialists work with the rest of the Interdisciplinary Team (IDT)?

Therapeutic Recreation Specialists are a member of the IDT and they work together with other team members.

Let’s say a social worker brings up that a participant is particularly lonely. Therapeutic recreation can reach out and engage that participant and encourage them to come to the center, introduce them to peers that they have similar interests with and engage them in the center. It can really have an impact on their emotional health.

In terms of medical conditions, a Therapeutic Recreation Specialist may collaborate with the nurse by encouraging participants to engage daily in physical activities in order to get their weight down, or to increase their ability to work on their own. There are many ways that Recreation can collaborate with team members.


What do you like most about your work?

I believe that Teamcare is so important because it allows us to take care of people who really needs to be taken care of the most. We provider help for participants who need help and for family members who can’t do it alone.

For many years, I worked in the healthcare field, and my heart would break for family members when they would find out that their loved one couldn’t go home by themselves anymore. And they worried about who’s gonna take care of them and how are they gonna pay for it? If I only knew about Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) and CenterLight Teamcare then, I would have pointed them in that direction.  

I can tell you about many moments, really, when I’ve seen the positive effects that Teamcare has had on our participants. It’s a quiet moment when a participant might pull me aside and say, ‘hey, thank you.’ Thank you for helping me do this activity. Or thank you for helping me with this problem. I really appreciate it, I love you.

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Last updated December 4, 2019

*Pet therapy icon used under the Creative Commons License. Artist: Chanut is Industries
 

About the Writer

Christine Berkner has been working at CenterLight Teamcare for 4 years.

Christine photo

If you have questions, please call us at 1-877-212-8877, Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. TTY users should call 711. You may also request a callback from one of our representatives by completing the form below:

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