Business Case: Hiring A Recreation Therapist Business Case Authors: Courtney Bartman & Maike Kurtze

1. Business Case:Hiring A Recreation TherapistBusiness Case Authors:Courtney Bartman & Maike Kurtze

2. What is Therapeutic Recreation? • Therapeutic Recreation is a process that utilizes treatment, education and recreation participation to enable persons with physical, cognitive, emotional and/or social limitations to acquire and/or maintain the skills, knowledge and behaviors that will allow them to enjoy their leisure optimally, and function independently with the least amount of assistance and participate as fully as possible in society (BCTRA, 2009).

3. Goals & Objectives Goal: • Increase the amount of Recreation Therapists hired yearly in British Columbia Objectives: • Increase public awareness of the profession • Increase the number of clients receiving Recreation Therapy services • Increase employers knowledge of the benefits of Recreation Therapy

4. Client Demand • It was estimated that 14% of these British Columbians had a disability, making their 530,130 individuals with a disability • There are approximately 4 000 collective dwelling facilities in B.C. to meet client demand • 32% of children aged 5 to 14 with a disability were reported by their parents as experiencing emotional, psychological or behavioral conditions that limit their activities • More than 10% of adults have activity limitations related to pain or discomfort • Mobility is the largest determinant of activity level among adults with a disability, which emphasizes the importance of access to therapeutic recreation activities in B.C. • in 2001 over half of people over 75 reported having a disability

5. Client Benefits of Recreation Therapy • Lower health care costs (decrease in stress related illnesses) • Increased employment & independence leading to a reduction in government supports • Reintegration into the community • Prolonged independent living • Reduction in crime and incarceration costs

6. Employee & Employer Benefits of Health Promotion Programming • Increased productivity • Decreased absenteeism • Improve work performance • Increase motivation • Produces leaders • Builds employee cohesion

7. Recreation Therapy Skills • Training and demonstrated abilities in core therapy skills including assessment, planning, implementation, documentation and evaluation • Recreation therapists enhance the health care consumers receive, increasing both the effectiveness and efficiency of routine care. • Extensive knowledge and skill-based training to enhance quality of care • Organized and team-oriented approach to care delivery  • Multi-functional and diversified skill base to reach a wider spectrum of consumers • Training in group oriented processes to enhance cost effectiveness and efficiencies in service delivery • Ability to handle professional responsibilities and authority  

8. Health of British Columbians • 26% of BC residents experience high levels of chronic stress (Note: between 70 and 80 percent of all disease and illness is stress related) Mitigating Strategy: • Involvement in leisure and having social supports buffer individuals against “personal stress produced by life circumstances” • Individuals with a large resource repertoire are not as likely to find a situation to be stressful and have a greater ability to cope when encountering stressful situations

9. Health of British Columbians • Rates of overweight have more than doubled in BC since 1985 from 11% to 26.4% in 2001 (Obesity is linked to heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, osteoarthritis, and certain types of cancer and a wide range of other illnesses) Mitigating Strategy: • Therapeutic Recreation intervention of increasing activity level and involvement in community life reduces medical complications and costly secondary disabilities after onset of a disability • Research regarding walking shows: • 50% reduction in the risk of premature death • 50% less incidence of type-2 diabetes • 30-40% reduction in the risk of heart disease • 20% reduction in the risk of stroke

10. Hospital Costs • Cost of hospital stay in Canada per patient = average of $7,000 (Based on at least one night stay, does not include the cost of emergency care, day surgery, long-term care, hospital clinics or fee-for-service payments to physicians) Mitigating Strategy: • Active involvement in TR services improves community living skills, increases independence as well as decreases the need for extended hospital stay • Studies of children in hospital participating in organized games showed improvement in mobility and range of motion, decrease in loss of function as well as increased rates of healing. Those recovering from surgery who participated in play also showed increased rates of healing.

11. Risks • It is predicted that obesity-related costs ($730 million to $830 million per year), will soon overtake the costs of tobacco-related illness (1.2 billion/year) (costs at a provincial level) • British Columbia’s total health spending (public and private) is $5, 093 per person. At an annual spending growth of 6.4% (estimated national growth rate 2007-08): • 5 years = approximately $6, 723 • 10 years = approximately $8, 353

12. Risks • Canada’s health care spending was estimated to reach $171.9 billion (or $5, 170 per person) in 2008, a growth of 6.4% ($10.3 billion) in one year • Continued annual growth at 6.4%: • 5 years = $223.4 billion • I0 years = $274.9 billion (more than doubled)

13. Recommendations For The Project • Locate individuals who will continue with the project. • Acquire further research supporting therapeutic recreation • Develop a user friendly tool which can be used by TRS’s as an addition to resumes, portfolio packages, etc which will provide increased support in hiring

14. Other Recommendations • Mandatory membership to BCTRA to validate Therapeutic Recreation as a profession and increase knowledge of current amount of TRS’s in the province • Increase the documentation taking place at work sites to justify the work and progress being made • Increase knowledge of the profession

15. references • BCTRA. (n.d.). British Columbia Therapeutic Recreation Association. Retrieved November 17, 2009, from http://www.bctra.org/ • CIHI. (2008a). Average hospital stay costs nearly $7,000 per patient in Canada. Retrieved November 9, 2009 from http://secure.cihi.ca/cihiweb/dispPage.jsp?cw_page=media_18mar2008_e • CIHI. (2008b).Spending on health care to reach $5,170 per Canadian in 2008. Retrieved November 9, 2009 from http://secure.cihi.ca/cihiweb/dispPage.jsp?cw_page=media_13mar2008_e • Colman, R. (2001). Cost of obesity in british Columbia. Retrieved November 12, 2009 from http://www.gpiatlantic.org/pdf/health/obesity/bc-obesity.pdf • Dolesh, R. J. (May, 2004). Follow the trail toward improved health. Parks & Recreation, 40-46. • Driver, B.L., Brown, P.J., & Peterson, G.L. (1991). Benefits of leisure. State College, PA: Venture Publishing. • Hood, C. D. & Carruthers, C. (2007). Enhancing leisure experience and developing resources: The leisure and well-being model, part II. Therapeutic Recreation Journal, 41(4), 298-325. • NCRTA. (n.d.). Cost benefits of services provided by therapeutic recreation specialists. Retrieved November 9, 2009 from http://www.ncrta.org/Professional/cost.html • NCTRC. (n.d.). National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification. Retrieved November 17, 2009, from http://www.nctrc.org/aboutnctrc.htm • Riley, B. (2009). NCTRC - CTRS profile study 2009 [PowerPoint Slides]. Retrieved October 28, 2009 via email. • Seaward, B.L. (2006). Managing Stress principles and strategies for health and well-being (5th ed.) London: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. • Statistics Canada. (2002). A Profile of Disability in Canada. (89-577-XIE). Ottawa: Ministry of Industry. • Statistics Canada. (2006). Selected collective dwelling and population characteristics (25) and type of collective dwelling (17) for the population in collective dwellings of Canada, provinces and territories. Retrieved from, http://www.statcan.gc.ca/start-debut-eng.html