As a Recreation Therapist, I facilitate physical, social, emotional, spiritual and cognitive therapeutic activities daily for seniors. I work with seniors with major depression, anxiety and all stages of dementia. Yes, I teach exercise but my experience with patients with depression and dementia extends far beyond exercise. If you are looking for meaningful activities either as a caregiver, or a Recreation Therapist looking for new ideas, I hope you will find helpful activities here.
First of all, I would like you to think about your life and how recreation plays a role. If you take away your time at work, what do you do with your time? Think about your hobbies and interests and think about how important these are to your mental and physical well-being. Most of us would be severely depressed without recreation and leisure in our lives. Recreation Therapists help others to re-discover what is important to them and what brings joy to their lives. We teach new skills, promote social engagement, link to community supports and set goals to help others lead an optimal leisure lifestyle.
I will be posting activities regularly which cover all the domains (physical, social, emotional, spiritual and cognitive). Many of the activities can be done by anyone but there will also be activities geared specifically for people with Alzheimer's Disease and other forms of dementia. Stay tuned!
