Activity Professionals of Ontario has available for order the APO Best Practice Guidelines for Recreation Assessment in Ontario Long Term Care Homes publication.  Click here to download the order form. ( PDF download)  

For questions about this document or the work APO is doing on best practices, please contact us.

Synopsis

The Best Practice Manual for Assessment in Recreation in Long Term Care is a resource containing a downloadable CD of the Assessment Forms and a book containing several sections of knowledgeable information guiding the user through the assessment process.  Recreation in LTC utilizes this common information collection tool to assist in streamlining the assessment process across Ontario.   It is a supporting document to RAI MDS and has been approved by Compliance Officials as part of data collection for Individualized Care Planning.

2007 saw the completion of the project and the role out of the manual.  Several hundred manuals have been sold throughout Ontario.  The dedicated Steering Committee comprised of Joanne Brohman (Mohawk College, TRO), Sherry Desjardins (APO member), Anne Marie Stoneburg (George Brown College), Kathy Dingwell (APO member), Jane Hiller (APO member), and JoAnn Stephan (APO member) spearheaded the research and endless hours of resource gathering, editing and rewording the document.  

The ADHOC Committee also played a pivotal role in editing, commenting, rewording and finalizing the document. Their various areas of education and insight proved a huge benefit to this project.  The APO Board, Executive and Membership were also included in each step of the way during this exciting time.  Road Shows across the province followed the roll out and many members were given the opportunity to participate in workshops to become familiar with the document while brushing up on GOAL writing. 

The manual is designed as a hands-on resource for the activity professional carrying out recreation assessments within the long term care setting. While it does not replace MDS or other assessment tools, it is certainly a thorough and useful way to carry out the assessment of your residents to determine their recreation needs.  Interdisciplinary Staff also find the information collected on this assessment useful for injecting individualized practices into Care Planning.  

Since its inception in 2007 facilities across Ontario have adopted this tool as the primary document for Recreation Assessment in Recreation in LTC.  As facilities strive to meet the standards that guide LTC this document will elevate adopters to a higher level of care and set them apart from their competition.