Older Adults
elevate your practice
May is Older Adult Month
ATRA's Older Adult Taskforce is dedicated to empowering Recreational Therapists with strategies and tools to better serve older adults across a variety of settings.
Older Adult Advocacy
Write a letter to your state Medicaid Director advocating for recreational therapy's essential role in addressing social isolation in older adults. Letter template provided!
evidence-based tools
RT Assessments for Older Adult Settings
Decreasing Learned Helplessness
Strategies and modifications to help address learned helplessness include:
- Offering residents the chance to use Super Ears (sound amplifiers) and large print cue cards (for printed materials during interventions and assessments like the MDS Section F).
- Consistently carry a dry erase board with you for use during intervention sessions and assessments.
- For cognitive limitations, use strategies like task segmentation, task simplification, and individual cueing (when possible).
- For limited range of motion, provide low impact/modified movements during physical activity interventions.
- Be mindful and intentional about placing materials/supplies during interventions on resident’s dominant side if the resident experiences hemiplegia or one-sided limitations.
advancing the field
Strengths-Based
Recreational Therapists utilize strengths-based, empowering terminology and strategies to promote healthy aging and decrease ageism. Read ATRA’s Educational and Advocacy Letter on Ageism below for practical examples.
Get Connected
Interested in sharing resources and engaging in meaningful conversation with Older Adult practitioners? ATRA Members are encouraged to join our #OlderAdults Special Interest Group!
