Erin West; Jenna Wills; Angela Boccuti ; and Morgan Jones

1. Above and Beyond: A senior living facility that goes above and beyond to provide residents with the best care possible. Erin West; Jenna Wills; Angela Boccuti; and Morgan Jones Facility description Above and Beyond Senior Living is a long-term care facility that provides assistance and care to people who are no longer able to live independently. We provide residents with a comfortable, friendly, and inviting environment. We offer many different activities in group therapy sessions that work on increasing our residents’ functional abilities and independence. Our caring staff is comprised of recreational therapists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, and registered nurses that function as an inter-disciplinary team of health professionals dedicated to increasing residents’ well-being. Phone: 555-788-2755 Website: https://www.above&beyondseniorliving.com/home Clients The typical age of clients in this nursing home is 65 and over. The length of stay is long term therefore most of the residents are there permanently. Some of the most prevalent diagnoses in this nursing home include dementia, arthritis, balance disorders, emphysema, and glaucoma. Most of the clients are typical elderly individuals dealing with the effects of aging. Treatment Approach Here at Above and Beyond we provide goal directed group therapy to individuals 55+. Our main goal is to improve quality of life through social interaction, leisure, and participation in group activities. Therapy is provided in a newly renovated activity room, fully equipped with various board games, exercise equipment, arts and crafts supplies, and a fully functional kitchen. Most of our clients come from a home setting or an inpatient rehab facility when they are no longer able to live independently. Our clients come to our facility when they are in need of additional support and generally stay for the remainder of their life. Our treatment team consists of recreational therapists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and registered nurses. Each health professional works together to increase clients’ independence by enhancing physical, cognitive, and social wellbeing. Recreational Therapy The RT plays a vital role in maximizing clients’ independence and overall wellbeing. They are responsible for finding out what the clients’ interests are and incorporating those interests into group activities. Recreational therapists are certified to work with people with all types of impairments. Common impairments in clients at our facility include dementia, Alzheimer's, arthritis, balance disorders, emphysema, and glaucoma. Each patient receives an individual evaluation when they enter the facility. A recreational therapist assesses physical and cognitive abilities to determine each clients strengths and weaknesses. This is important in developing a treatment plan with a goal of maximizing independence. A vital part of assessment is discussing the patient’s interests and hobbies to create and place them in group activities that they are genuinely interested in. Clients attend up to four group activities each day with the goal of increasing functional abilities. Increased independence is achieved through activities that exercise the mind and body such as tai chi, cooking, and name that tune. Each client has a monthly evaluation that assesses program effectiveness by determining whether patients have improved, remained the same, or regressed in there functional abilities. At our facility, we provide clients with a wide range of activities. We have activities that promote cognitive functioning such as history and science classes, blackjack, 20 questions, and dominoes. We also offer group exercise classes such as tai chi and yoga that promote physical wellbeing. Sensory stimulation is a very important part of daily life as well. For this reason we have therapy animals visit the facility on the weekends. The animals stimulate the senses and are often a great gateway to conversation and reminiscence among residents. Frequent happy hours and dance nights promote social interaction and help our residents to form friendships. Recreational Therapy Interventions Bingo Bingo, a game in which players mark off numbers on cards as the numbers are drawn randomly by a caller, is offered on Friday evenings. Although an optional event, we highly encourage everyone to take part in this fun opportunity to liven up the weekend! Family and friends of the residents are always welcome to join and prizes are awarded to all of the winners! Winners are those first to mark off five numbers in a row or another required pattern. Bingo is a great way for people who live in the nursing home to socialize with each other and stimulate their minds. It is an especially effective therapeutic intervention for those residents with dementia or Alzheimer’s. Bingo allows recreation therapists to assess cognitive and memory skills by observing how well the residents can follow the rules and remain focused on the specific task. Recreation therapists should consider whether the game should be shortened or if adaptations, such as using large cards or markers, need to be made. Recreational Therapy Interventions References Robertson, T; Long, T; 2008; Foundations of Therapeutic Recreation; United States of America: Thompson-Shore, Inc. Vargas, G. (2013). APIE Lecture message posted to https://blackboard.temple.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=null&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_5417_1%26url%3D Vargas, G. (2013). Long Term Care posted to https://blackboard.temple.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=null&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_5417_1%26url%3D Name that Tune Name that Tune is a music recognition activity in which the residents try to identify the short, catchy tunes a recreation therapist plays, such as “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.” This game is often played to avoid having the residents spend too much time in front of a TV or alone in their rooms. The purpose of Name that Tune is to stimulate the minds of the residents and provide a healthy challenge for their memories and hearing abilities. Recreation therapists can use this game to assess whether a resident is experiencing hearing loss or trouble remembering common concepts. A recreational therapist should make sure to not continue with the activity if a resident is having trouble remembering the song title or hearing the music because this may create a lack of confidence or sense of failure. It is important to focus on the residents’ strengths, not weaknesses. Pet Therapy Animal-assisted therapy, also known as pet therapy, is offered on the weekends for all residents who choose to participate. It utilizes trained animals and handlers to achieve specific physical, social, cognitive, and emotional goals with patients. Pet therapy serves many purposes such as physical fitness through walking with the animals; fine motor skills enhanced by petting, grooming, or feeding the animal; patient communication is encouraged by the response of the animal to either verbal or physical commands; and activities such as writing or talking about the therapy animals or past pets also develop cognitive skills and communication. Pet therapy provides a great way for recreation therapist to evaluate major differences in the patient's comfort, progress, and recovery. In using pet therapy, a recreation therapist should consider the physical abilities of the residents, as well as the emotional attachments they might form in case the pet were to die, which could be a traumatic experience.