The concept of wellness in therapeutic recreation programs

This descriptive study surveyed 22 Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialists working in physical rehabilitation inpatient facilities in Tennessee. The data collection tool consisted of a survey which requested information from each subject in order to determine the prevalence of the active integration of the concept of wellness into their therapeutic recreation programs, the nature and extent of the wellness integrated programs, and possible barriers to the integration of wellness.

Modern health care increasingly recognizes the concept of wellness as having a variety of positive implications for programs and practice. While therapeutic recreation has great potential for utilizing the concept of wellness, limited literature is available indicating that this integration is occurring. The data collected in this study served to identify current trends in the field of therapeutic recreation as they pertain to the concept of wellness.

With a response rate of 71%, the study yielded a description of the demographics of each facility, the nature and extent of the active integration of wellness into the therapeutic recreation programs, and barriers to the integration of wellness. A summary of the results suggested that inconsistent and varying interpretations of the concept of wellness exist. A comparative analysis of the examples provided by the respondents for each dimension of wellness presented a discrepancy between the subjects beliefs of the active integration of wellness, and wellness as simply an outcome of an activity. It was concluded that wellness is far from reaching its full potential in the therapeutic recreation programs, but the subjects did demonstrate an awareness of the barriers specific to their programs.