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This article provides a secondary analysis of data collected from a recreation therapy intervention trial for older adults with dementia and neuropsychiatric symptoms. In a subsample of 54 individuals who received wheelchair (WC) biking on some days and other recreation therapy interventions on other days, a comparison of engagement levels, time engaged, and encouragement needed was completed. The analysis showed that WC biking provided significantly more time on task and significantly higher levels of engagement, and less encouragement was needed. Collecting recreation therapy session engagement data was found to be a simple and useful method of comparing effectiveness of recreation therapy interventions.

Introduction: To meet the needs of persons with dementia, adequate psychosocial interventions such as individualized music (IM) therapy is needed through resident involvement and person-centered care.Aim: The aim of this study was to explore the experience of care staff working with IM in nursing home residents with dementia.Method: A qualitative, explorative, and descriptive design was used. Semistructured interviews of seven care staff from four nursing homes were carried out.Result: The main findings included improved person-centered care and resident involvement, categorized in the three main themes: (1) IM in care staff-resident relation, (2) IM as a psychosocial intervention for agitation and restlessness, and (3) IM and job satisfaction in care staff.Conclusion: These findings suggest that IM can improve facilitation of person-centered care, thus providing an increased focus on resident involvement.

This study identified perceived benefits of animal-assisted therapy (AAT) on anxiety, pain, communication, and cognition among patients waiting for treatment in a large urban cancer center. A convenience sample of 75 patients and five family members (n = 80) waiting for treatment completed a survey about AAT. After giving informed consent, participants were asked to complete questions related to attitudes about offering a complementary therapy dog program in the hospital. Findings indicated that most respondents were very accepting of AAT in the cancer center, with 78 percent indicating that they would like to take part in this complementary therapy. The perceived benefits of AAT included that it would provide a method for positive communication (93 percent), cognitive stimulation (92.3 percent), it would help to pass time more quickly (88.8 percent), it would help people to feel more comfortable at the cancer center (84.8 percent), and it would reduce participants’ pain (71.3 percent) and anxiety (68.4 percent). The association between gender and anxiety produced a statistically meaningful result in this study about predicting subjects’ participation in the program. Ultimately, offering recreational therapy facilitated AAT in cancer center waiting areas may provide benefits for patients and provide a competitive edge to hospitals.

This three-phase project evaluated the content validity and test-retest reliability of an assessment tool aligned with the specific content areas of the Minimum Data Set 3.0. In phase I, 54 experts examined the content and made several suggestions for improvement of the tool. In phase II, recreational therapy (RT) students and experienced practitioners pilot tested the “Leisure History and Interest” checklist and interview section of the assessment. A total of 10 categories were found pertinent to interviewing residents about their recreational interests. In the final phase, 15 certified therapeutic recreation specialists tested and retested 45 residents and provided time-limited treatment. The test-retest reliability coefficient for the overall assessment was found to be very high at 0.93. Positive outcomes of RT treatment were found across all domains for the majority of residents.

The purpose of this article is to share the findings from the Alternative and Complementary Therapies for Healthy Aging panel that recently disseminated their research at the annual Gerontological Society of American Conference, November 18-22, 2009, in Atlanta, GA. The interdisciplinary panel examined the influence of alternative and complementary therapies for healthy aging. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine1 (NCCAM) reports that 38 percent of adults in the United States utilize complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). CAMs offer an alternative or adjunct therapy that has lower risk of adverse side effects and offer a new perspective: healing the patient rather than simply treating them. Quality of life must be considered; more medications and medical interventions do not always equally increase the quality of life. The interventions presented promote a holistic approach (mind, body, and spirit) to wellness.