Tell the Whole Story: How to Assess Older Adults in All Domains
Session Description (for use in the program and for marketing purposes)
As recreational therapists, we daily witness the impacts of our services, telling countless powerful narratives that denote the effect of recreation and leisure on the aging population. While powerful, these anecdotes often lack evidentiary support or never make it to the shelf, thus becoming fleeting representations of lasting outcomes. Comprehensive assessment allows us to tell the full story. Grounded in NCTRC’s 2014 Job Task Analysis, this session will provide in-depth application of each Assessment Job Task tailored to all older adult settings. Come observe live demonstrations and acquire skills to confidently administer informal and prominent standardized assessments, including, but not limited to, Geriatric Depression Scale, Timed “Up and Go” Test, Functional Independence Measure, St. Louis University Mental Status, Senior Fitness Test, and Tinetti Balance Scale. Gathering data in all functional domains distinguishes Recreational Therapists from other healthcare providers, highlighting the limitless impacts of a holistic approach. Measuring these outcomes is not only imperative to tracking client progress, but also encompasses an important opportunity to validate our services. Gain administrative support through providing evidence of RT’s impact on pertinent issues such as falls, dementia-related behaviors, social isolation, and pain. This session goes beyond collecting facts and figures to tell a unique story of each individual we treat.