A Note From:
IOA Associate Director for Research Jennifer Craft Morgan
Showcasing Aging Research in North Carolina: Researchers with the UNC Greensboro Gerontology Program investigate the use of recreation therapy interventions with older adults
Dr. Linda Buettner, Ph.D., LRT, CTRS, is a professor of gerontology and therapeutic recreation at UNC Greensboro. Her main research for the past 12 years has been the examination of therapeutic programs for older adults with dementia and secondary symptoms. Some of her latest work with a colleague, Suzanne Fitzsimmons, MS, ARNP, includes an experimental study testing the success of targeted recreational therapy with individuals with dementia and neuropsychiatric symptoms in assisted living and nursing home settings.
Her research has the potential to positively impact the quality of life for individuals with dementia and neuropsychiatric symptoms. By using recreational therapy interventions that are selected with the participant's current level of functioning and past leisure interests in mind, Buettner and her colleagues hoped to reduce the number of behavioral symptoms and increase engagement in an enjoyable activity among study participants.
In this recent Alzheimer’s Association-funded study, tailored recreational therapy interventions were used to calm individuals with agitated behaviors and/or to alert individuals with passive behaviors at the time of day that was found to be most problematic. Each participant received two weeks of daily recreational therapy. Each participant was re-assessed for symptoms immediately after the two week intervention. Using an experimental design with one intervention and one delayed intervention control group (N=107), Buettner and Fitzsimmons also evaluated the effectiveness of the intervention.
They found that participation in the intervention was related to a reduction in behavioral symptoms particularly for those with passive behaviors. They also found that participants with no medications and with poly medications showed the most significant change. Further, female participants with agitated behaviors responded significantly better to the recreation therapy than did males.
Recreational therapy is a promising approach to improving quality of life for residents of long-term care who experience dementia and neuropsychiatric symptoms. Increasing the number of opportunities for these older adults may serve to reactivate individuals and help control problem behaviors. This approach may prove to be a win-win for both residents and for those who care for them in North Carolina’s long term care settings.
Dr. Buettner and another colleague, Dr. Ann Kolanowski, now have an RO1 funded by the National Institute of Nursing Research. The aim of this study is to test the efficacy of recreational activities in reducing agitation and passivity and improving engagement, affect and mood in nursing home residents with dementia.
Thank you Dr. Buettner for sharing your research with the readers of NC*Aging. Next month we will be showcasing another research project from our North Carolina colleagues. Dr. Morgan welcomes your submissions, profiling your research or that of your colleagues, at any time for future editions of Showcasing Aging Research in North Carolina. Stay tuned for our next column!