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At Shirley Ryan С¶÷ÑÅ, our recreational therapy team is staffed by highly skilled Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialists (CTRS). We work with you to complete a comprehensive assessment and identify your interests and goals for returning to recreation and leisure ¡ª and to develop a personalized treatment plan just for you.

Through recreational therapy, we¡¯ll enable you to resume previous recreational interests, discover new ones, and gain new skills to prepare for the transition back to the community after inpatient rehabilitation.

Leisure skills development provides an opportunity for patients to improve physical and cognitive function in the context of familiar and enjoyable therapeutic activities.

Our therapists first complete an activity analysis of your preferred recreation or leisure interests to determine the physical and cognitive abilities necessary to participate.

We also help identify your functional goals, such as activity endurance, sitting balance, fine and gross motor coordination, ambulation and more. Ultimately, our goal is to prepare you for the safe and successful return to recreation and leisure at home and in the community.

Leisure skills development also often includes the use of adaptive equipment, exploration of activity modifications, and adaptive techniques to increase independence in your preferred activities, as well as offering an opportunity to work on standing, sitting balance and more. Some common pieces of adaptive equipment integrated into leisure skills development include adaptive bikes, sports wheelchairs, adaptive video gaming equipment and multi-use adaptive recreation equipment.

Leisure education is important for gaining a better understanding of where, why, how, and with whom you can pursue leisure interests and experiences. It is incorporated into nearly all recreational therapy treatment plans.

Leisure education often includes how to use adaptive equipment and assistive technologies specific to leisure interests; education about recreational resources for continued participation in recreation and leisure after discharge; and exploration of new, accessible recreation and leisure pursuits.

Community reintegration training prepares you for returning to community activities after discharge. We provide an opportunity for you to gain experience in a supported, therapeutic setting.

For example, we take patients on outings to explore accessible locations throughout Chicago, such as farmers markets, coffee shops, cultural events, museums and park district facilities. We also provide accessible travel training, including navigating buses and trains and visiting O¡¯Hare International Airport to practice all aspects of air travel ¡ª including how to board a plane.

While out in the community, you can expect to gain a better understanding of community mobility considerations; gain insight into community accessibility; and problem solve community barriers with your recreational therapist.

We promote positive social interaction between patients and family members through group therapy opportunities. The focus is on decreasing feelings of isolation by encouraging involvement in group settings; developing social skills; and establishing support systems for patients adjusting to life with impairments or new abilities.