an inTeRlink feature article

The CTRS Dictionary

“ Trust one who has gone through it.”
Virgil, The Aeneid

There is an old remark that therapeutic recreation always endeavors to assume the appearance of holistic healing: thus its practice is a therapy that reduces symptoms, improves quality of life and fosters general well being of those in need of physical, cognitive, social and affective remediation. This perhaps arises hence, that human-kind naturally and universally, approves quality leisure pursuits in their hearts, and yet detest wasting time, and therefore, whenever through tempation they fall into the practice of the latter, they would rather conceal from themselves as well as others, under some other name than that which properly belongs to it.

A newly disabled person faces challenges in that time is often perceived as being wasted due to medical interventions and rehabilitation. Previous leisure interests must be modified at best, or in some cases, replaced with alternate activities. Recreation therapists enable newly disabled patients to learn adaptive techniques, modify previous activities or explore new leisure options. The CTRS’s goal is to help patients pursue leisure while taking into account individual needs, desires, interests and functional abilities. The CTRS’s vocabulary is partially found in the following CTRS Dictionary.

Building the CTRS dictionary reflects one of the independent therapeutic recreation interventions I am doing as an inpatient, at Burke Rehabilitation Hospital. I present the CTRS Dictionary to illustrate how threapeutic recreation helps me maintain my sense of humor, keeps my mind alert and fosters my self-esteem. I hope the dictionary contibutes to the body of knowledge in TR, as I recover from surgery. Many thanks to the TR staff at Burke Rehabilitation Hospital who are helping me maintain and explore a new active leisure lifestyle as I endure daily physical and occupational therapy. Please excuse any typographical errors, as the computer I am using, is not my own.

A. Accessibility, Acquiring new skills, Active listening, Activity Analysis, Adaptive Aquatics, Adaptive techniques, Agency, Ameliorate, Arts & crafts, Assessment, ATRA, Attendance

B. Ball Toss, Balloon toss, Beauty culture, Behavioral objectives, Bingo, Birthday parties, Board games, Bowling

C. Cards, Care plans, Caring, Certification, Charting, Clinical, Coffee, Cognitive skills, Cohesive groups, Community Center, Companionship, Compassion, Conferences, Continuum, Control, Costumes, Counseling, Creative expression, Croquet, Current events

D. Decrease specific behavior, Diagnoses, Disabilities, Discussion groups, Disease, Display

E. Early onset, Elopement, End stage, Energy, Equipment, Evaluation, Excitement, Exercise, Experience

F. Facilitate, Facilities, Family & Friend supports, Fine motor skills, Flow, Following demonstration, Friendship, Fun, Functioning level

G. Games, Gardening, Geriatrics, Given the appropriate supplies and equipment, Goals, Gradualism, Gross motor skills, Groups

H. Hand-over-Hand, Hand-washing, Happy Hour, Helping, Holidays, Horticulture, Humor, Hyperactive, Holistic

I. Improve, Increase specific behavior, Independence, Individual activities, Innovation, Interdisciplinary team, Interests, Intervention, Isolation, Isometrics

J. Jigsaw puzzle, Journaling, Joyful

K. Kinesthetics, Knitting, Kaffee Klatch

L. Leadership, Leisure counseling, Leisure repertoire, Leisure skills, Lethergy, Letter writing, Licensure, Life review, Locus of control

M. Magic, Maintain specific behavior, Measurable, Medication, Mens’ club, Motivational rounds, Movies, Multi-purpose room, Music appreciation, Music & instruments

N. Needs assessment, Newspapers, Night club

O. Objectives, Observation, Occurence, One-On-One, Optimal, Organize, Outcomes, Overcoming Obstacles

P. Pantomime, Paradigm, Para-Professional, Participant, Partnerships, Passive, Peers, Performance, Perscriptive, Petty Cash, Pokeno, Policy & Procedures, Praise, Process, Program Plan, Program Protocol, Progress, Puzzles,

Q. Quality assurance, Quality vs. Quanity, Quantify

R. Rapport, Reality orientation, Recreation Room, Reduce specific behavior, Refreshments, Reminders, Research, Ring Toss, Room visits, Rounds, Rules

S. Self-directed activities, Self-esteem, Singing Songs, Socialization, Special events, Sports, Statistics, Supplies

T. Teaching, Therapeutic rapport, Third party reimbursement, Time management, Tools of the Trade, Transport to program, Trivia,

U. Understanding, Universal design, Updating, Upon request

V. Values clarification, Venting feelings, Videos, Volunteers, Voting

W. Walking group, Wheelchair games, Whole person, Will, Winning, Womens’ club, Wood Craft, Wool, Word games,

X. 2x, 3x, 4x etc., Xerox machine

Y. Yarn rolling, Yoga, Youthful

Z. Zoo Trips

With apologies and thanks to Benjaman Franklin… Charles A. Sourby

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