Covid-19 is quickly spreading and for the world of recreation therapy that means that a lot of programs need to be changed or they are being cancelled altogether.

I wanted to help out, seeing so much concern all over facebook and instagram from Recreation Therapists not knowing what to do. The majority of facilities have had to cancel volunteers, interns, co-op students, bus trips and one of the biggest categories, performers. My facility is being hit with exact same challenges, so I can totally understand how hard our situation can be viewed. At the end of the day, we still need to do our job and support our clients/residents. I know some of you are worried, scrambling to come up with alternatives for your calendars and I wanted to help.

With the help of some of my instagram followers I have created a list of programs that, should your facility still be open, you might be able to try running as alternatives.

Hopefully some of these can help ease your stress and here’s a reminder that you’re amazing at what you do! Know that I am cheering you on.

Chair Yoga/Stretching

This is a great way to work on physical goals while minimizing touching because all you need is chairs, no equipment! If you’ve never done chair yoga/stretching before you can find a lot of great ones online. I’ve linked a couple I’ve used before to help you with your search.

Laughter Yoga

With so much isolation occurring it is so important that we’re providing programs that can boost mental and emotional health within our populations. Laughter yoga is one way we can do just that, another benefit is that is actually supports physical health too!

If you have a screen and have access to youtube, I highly recommend checking out Biance Spears. She has a lot of great sessions recorded for you to use and play for your population. Her videos are really informative and they are awesome for beginners! Click here for one of her videos.

If you’re not comfortable facilitating laughter yoga, comedy is another way we can get a similar impact. You can tell your own jokes, find a joke book, have a joke writing competition or even just watch a comedy show online!

Virtual Tours

Virtual Tours are one way we can explore the world from right in our chairs. There are endless possibilities online, but I’ve linked some below if you’re in a rush and don’t have the time to find any on your own!

• Blarney Castle and Gardens This is perfect for St. Patricks Day but can really be done any time of the year. This tour will take you all around the castle and you’ll be able to see some gorgeous views!
• Windsor Castles
• The British Museum in London
• Musée d’Orsay, Paris
• National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul
• Pergamon Museum, Berlin
• Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam
• Uffizi Gallery, Florence
• Louvre — this one has multiple different virtual tours!
• VirtualVisitTours. You can find a ton of virtual tours on this site!

Armchair Travel/Travelogues

If you use activity connection, this one comes highly recommended! I know that I myself have used them but multiple other followers also included this on the programs they sent my way.

(Guided) Meditation

Mediation is an easy, no need for touching activity. Again, if this isn’t an activity you’ve done before there are lots of videos/recordings online that you can play for your group.

This can be expanded into mindfulness as a whole, with so many activities being available. There are worksheets and information sheets that can be printed and handed off to residents should they need to stay in their room, or can be done as a spread out group.

Kicking Games

While there are a lot of facilities that have needed to limit touching, one amazing TR said she found a work around. Instead of playing catch or balloon volleyball, she’s started playing kicking games instead!

Want to be bowling? Sure, just kick it! Want to toss around a balloon? only if you use your feet!

Audio Books

A few TRs sent me messages telling me they had to close their in-facility libraries due to infection control. They let me know that instead, they’ve started playing audio books for their populations allowing for them to still experience reading without the need for physical options.

Even better? All of them have said they’ve received positive feedback and that this will be something they continue you to do!

Google Time

Google time is when you open up google and just google whatever questions or topics the group wants. You may end up researching a single topic for an hour or you may jump back a forth looking up different words or foods from different countries. Endless possibilities and a ton of fun!

Music History

Music History is a topic that popped up on my instagram a few different times. I loved it because music is such a big part of everyones life and this can be a mix of history, singing, music and story telling!

If you have activity connection, they have a whole bunch of already create music history information. If not, you can always use the internet to create your own.

Sing-Alongs

A lot of us already have sing alongs on DVDs in our facilities, but if you don’t youtube has endless options for all different populations. This is a great way to still fill your facility with music without performers needing to be present!

White Board Games

This is a pretty broad idea but there are so many endless possibilities! To help you come up with some ideas, here are some of the ones I’ve either played myself or were listed for me!

What is so great about most of these is you can also challenge individuals to do it on their own as a challenge, which is helpful if they are isolated to their own rooms.

• ABC Challenges — Pick any topic you want from fruits, to names, to holidays! Have the group come up with 5-6 words that start with each letter of the alphabet starting at A
• Word to Words — This is another really great one to get a group thinking. Come up with one main word and either individually or as a group come up with as many words as possible using only the letters from the first word
• Pictionary — Draw a picture and have the group guess what you’re drawing
• Hangman — Have the group guess the word by guessing individual letters, each letter they guess that isn’t in the word creates the man. If the man is created first, they lose.

Online/TV/Screen Games

This is another big category but one that limits people needing to touch one another or equipment. Here are some ones that your group might enjoy.

• Crossword
• Scramble Words
• Text Twist
• Hangman
• Scrabble
• So many more!

Fitness Classes

Staying fit is important, especially in recreation therapy where physical health is such an important goal. There are lots of physical activities that can be run without the use of equipment. Zumba, stretching, or just normal seated/standing exercises.

Again, this one can be done with absolutely any population and can be adapted to make it suitable for all needs.

Trivia

Trivia is always a popular one, but one that I think we get stuck trying to do the same thing over an over again. Want to switch it up? Here’s some alternative ways Trivia can be done

• Research a topic before hand and plan some questions (you can choose animals, countries, holidays. The possibilities are endless!)
• Cranium the board game can quickly be altered, just use the cards instead of the board. You’ll have true and false, multiple choice, guess the answer cards.
• 5 Second Rule — If you haven’t played this game I highly recommend checking it out
• Trivial Pursuit — Use the cards and you have hundreds of questions you’ve probably never asked them before.
• Jeopardy — you can use this website to make your own or browse the hundreds of games already created!

Online Concerts

With a lot of facilities limiting the people in and out, performers had to be cancelled. Unfortunately live music is always a favourite. Not sure what to do?

There are endless options in terms of CDs and sing alongs, but there also a lot of recorded concerts that can be found online or bought on DVD. These concerts can be a great replacement, giving a similar atmosphere allowing for a visual too.

Work Books

There are lots of online workbooks that you can print off and deliver to residents rooms. They can be filled with different activities like crosswords, colouring pages, word searches, brain teasers, challenges and more!

You know what your group would like best, consider taking some time to make a workbook or two of your own!

Office Basketball

I liked this one because it stepped out of the norm the list was following. While this probably isn’t one you’d want to do with a large group, for individuals who are isolated this can be a ton of fun!

All they need to do is crumple up paper into balls and a garbage can. They can try throwing their paper balls into the garbage can at different angles, different spots in the room and even different heights.

Create Challenges

This seems to be a popular one, with the suggestion coming in a lot. I decided instead of needing to list them all separately that I would list them all under one main topic and you can brainstorm from there!

• Who can come up with the coolest in room activity
• Who can design the best __________ (cereal, car, house, ect)
• Who can create the newest innovation, with a pitch to Dragons Den!
• Who can come up with the best idea for a trip (think to the future!)
• Who can write the best __________ (short story, poem, movie pitch, ect)
• Have any knitters or sewers? challenge them to see who can create the most ________ to donate!
• Colouring/Painting Competition

Independent Activities

This was another popular one that filled my question box, but the options were so spread out. I was amazed! Here are some fun and innovative ones that I have heard

• Give each resident that enjoys reading a few books they might like. Have them read them and write a short description of what the book was about! These can all by types and complied into a binder for once the outbreaks are all done
• Have any National Geographic Magazines or history type magazines? Have some of the residents read one and come up with a short presentation on a few of the interesting topics that were covered, share them at a later date
• Have each individual come up with a list of some of their favourite songs. These lists can be turned into song books or sent to entertainers who come back in the future so they know what your residents enjoy listening too
• Get each individual to have an ongoing list of activities they think of while in their rooms. This can help you realize what activities they liked, what ones they maybe don’t like as well as activities that you have never tried. Helps with advance planning!
• Deliver a deck of cards to your residents that want them with a print out of a few different card games they can play on their own. Allows them to keep their brains and hands busy without needing someone else in the room

Learn a Language

There are tons of online videos and resources to help the individuals in your facility learn a new language. Even just learning how to say hello in 20 languages.

Are your individuals isolated to their rooms? There are also a lot of printable worksheets that you can deliver to them. Challenge them to learn their ABCs in sign language or learn to count to 20 in French.

Craft Bags

If you have individuals who enjoy colouring or making crafts, creating bags they can do in their rooms can be a ton of fun. You can include a supplies for a craft with specific instructions or you can just give them a bag filled with a whole bunch of random supplies to come up with their own!

What to include? Try

• Colour by number sheets
• String/Thread
• Paper
• Scissors
• Gluesticks/White Glue
• Pencils/Markers/Crayons/Pencil Crayons
• Paint/Paint Brushes
• Beads

Social Media/Technology

If your population has access to technology, teaching them to use social media is a great idea! They can create facebook profiles to talk to their family, their friends and even the other residents.

Some homes are choosing to set up facebook groups so that they can post activities to do and help reduce the loneliness. I’ve also seen Facetime being used or facilities creating youtube playlists with workouts, activities, sing alongs, ect.

You can also hook up iPads or laptops to a screen/TV to play interactive games with everyone.

Hallway Activities

I’ve seen a lot of facilities choosing to implement hallway activities. This keeps their residents a safe distance from one another but still allows them to communicate, see faces and get involved.

• Bingo
• Soccer
• Password/Catchphrase
• Sing-Alongs
• A lot of the white board games listed above!

Phone/Facetime Visits

If your facility has phones or access to technology, TRs can start doing chats. You can create sheets and deliver them underneath their doors with a scheduled time to chat! The chats may not be long but I’ve seen posts and comments saying it is helping.

This keeps the socialization going helping to reduce the feeling of being alone.

House Wide Bingo

Give residents a card and every day release a few numbers, calling them to let them know. An ongoing game that gives them just a little bit of brightness to their day!

Weekly or Bi-Weekly Newsletters

Once or twice a week deliver a newsletter to each individual, it doesn’t need to be anything fancy. It can include things like:

• Whats going on in the world
• Positive news
• Word of the Week
• Word Games
• Jokes
• Riddles
• Options for activities they can “request” to be delivered to them
• The weather
• challenges — See above idea!
• Colouring pages

Door to Door Treats

Use your facilities kitchen and bake some cupcakes or cookies. Create little bags with goodies that residents can use to decorate their own treat

Laminated Worksheets

By laminating the sheets you can continue to reuse them by sanitizing them rather than printing them over and over again. Just leave a white board marker in each room that is using them or simply sanitize them in between use as well.

• Math Sheets
• Word Games
• Cross Word
• Sudoku
• Word Search
• Brain Crunchers
• Lots of options on Activity Connections

Use your community!

I’ve seen a lot of great posts from fellow TRs encouraging others to reach out to your community. There are a lot of great resources available and those around you might be able to help. Some things you can ask for:

• Emails you can print off and hand out to residents with positive messages
• Plastic fidget toys/activities that can be easily sanitized
• CD or music players that you can sanitize and distribute to different residents who might need a pick me up
• DVDs for individuals with DVD players in their room
• Colouring/Activity Booklets that you can photocopy from
• Decks of Cards
• Old Iphones/Ipods that can be used for games or FaceTiming

Live Streams

Youtube and Facebook have a lot of active live streams going right now from different animal sanctuaries and zoos, allowing you to get a similar experience without leaving your facility!

While these are all of the ones I’ve been provided this far, I will continue to update this blog post so be sure to check back for additions to this always growing list 🙂