Therapeutic Activities

Jul 2

This July, we take the time to recognize the amazing work done every day by therapists! Therapeutic recreation has a long-standing history, starting in the 1850s as a profession years after Florence Nightingale had been actively using and suggesting more people try recreational therapy in their own practices. During World War II the Red Cross hired recreational therapists to care for wounded and traumatized soldiers. Since then recreational therapy is widely known and practiced all across the country. The American Therapeutic Recreation Association (A.T.R.A.) was started in 1984 and created National Therapeutic Recreation Month which is celebrated every February, and Therapeutic Recreation Week which is celebrated during the second week of July.

What is Therapeutic Recreation?

Recreational therapy is the practice of using recreational activities to heal people with varying levels of disabilities. This includes myriad activities such as music, dance, drama, art, games, theater, and many other activities that can help people to express themselves. The type of therapy given is dependent on the patient's interests and choices for what they engage with, which helps them to have more autonomy in their life. Practices of therapeutic recreation are used in hospitals, schools, community centers, and assisted living centers. This form of therapy helps with depression, stress, anxiety, motor function, and reasoning, as well as helps patients with their social confidence and expression levels.

Yoga

Practicing yoga helps promote relaxation, and helps your ability to focus while increasing flexibility and blood flow to organs at the same time. Using yoga as a tool to feel interconnectedness between your mind and body is beneficial for everyone, especially those who have varying levels of abilities and need help relaxing.

Dance

Keeping dance recreational has many benefits for people’s mental and physical health. Interacting with dance in a less structured way than dance therapy can give patients the freedom to move with fewer limitations. Dance has been proven to help patients release tension held in their bodies from stress, anger, grief, or any other range of emotions that are hard to process mentally.

Animals

Animals can be therapeutic too! Typically, animals will either visit or live with the client and spend time with the person according to their comfort levels each day. Animals have proven to be a great support for those with cognitive issues after a stroke for example, for those with mental health conditions, and those who suffer from various types of addiction. Animals have been healing for many generations!

Creative Writing

Using writing prompts to get inspired also will help individuals open up about their interests. Creative writing is a great outlet for those with mobility issues, and these prompts can also be done using the voice if that is the patient's preference. Having access to a person's writing can give insight into other parts of their life and help give more meaningful interactions in the future.

Cooking

Cooking therapy is beneficial for cognitive, physical, social, and intrapersonal healing. Cooking requires physical attunement of limbs and muscles for cutting, chopping, mixing, etc. It takes a high level of sensory awareness to handle all ingredients and sharp utensils while cooking, but it also encourages creativity and spontaneity for brain function. Learning how to cook is great for mental health because it helps you take better care of yourself and those for whom you are cooking. Eating well is essential to feeling better!

Art

Art has proven to be an effective means of therapy, particularly for veterans returning home after engaging in combat. Through holistic methods of painting, sculpting, drawing, etc., individuals are encouraged to create space to be active in their healing. Programs have been created with the VA and the YMCA that bring patients together around activities and help veterans bond in a safe way.

Gardening

Gardening has been seen to have many beneficial health benefits for many ages but especially for senior citizens. Gardening uses motor functioning from planting seeds, pulling weeds, and using other tools to churn the soil. It’s also a great socializing activity that allows people to interact outdoors and get fresh air circulating throughout the body.

Music

Music therapy helps patients relieve their anxiety, stress, and depression symptoms by listening to or creating their own music. Therapists typically will assist their patients to write songs or create music however they feel called to, which aids in their creativity and connection with others.

Games

Different types of games have proven beneficial to individuals because they can help patients with memory, problem-solving, concentration, socialization, and more. Playing a board game or outside game with others also creates a healthy environment for patients and therapists to bond with less tension. Games like Uno, trouble, matching games, Yahtzee, and so many others bring people together and help them to demonstrate fine motor functioning, coordination, communication, and muscle movement.

Who Can Benefit from Therapeutic Recreation?

Therapeutic recreation encourages play in people of all ages and backgrounds. Through our collective ability to identify hobbies and activities that individuals feel inclined toward, as a society, we can see how play and fun can heal us. Therapists typically take time with each patient to help them discover which activities will help bring them out of their comfort zones and engage in the endless number of ways it is possible to heal through their hobbies. This means that recreation, in general, can be beneficial to all scopes of people but especially has been seen to be helpful for those with cognitive functioning problems as well as those with a wide range of mental health issues.

If you think therapeutic recreation could be beneficial to you or your family please contact the team at Tilton’s Therapy to learn how we can get started.