It takes a lot of planning for an off-campus event
Executive Summary:
Subject: Planning an off-campus event.
Provider: The Rehabilitation Institute at Santa Barbara (CA)
Essential points:
• Planning took two months.
• All disciplines and institute departments participated.
• Physician orders and patient release forms were required.
It took about two months of planning and help from the entire rehab staff to put on a Rehab in the Park activity, says Libby Whaley, MHA, RTC, CTRS, director of therapeutic recreation at the Rehabilitation Institute at Santa Barbara (CA).
Rehab in the Park was a day of fun and therapeutic activities for patients in a public park near the hospital. The therapeutic recreation department sponsored the event, and covered the costs from its budget. However, staff from all disciplines were involved in planning and carrying out the activities. Participants included two therapists from each clinical department, physical therapy and occupational therapy aides, representatives from nursing, nutritional services, and housekeeping, the entire therapeutic recreation staff, and a group of volunteers.
About two months before the event, representatives of each discipline met with the recreation therapy staff to help plan activities that would meet the patients’ therapeutic goals. It took three meetings to fine-tune their plans and coordinate all the activities.
The therapeutic recreation staff arranged with the Santa Barbara city parks department to reserve the picnic pavilion.
Physician orders needed
The institute’s food services manager ordered the food through its regular contractor for 40 people each day so family members and staff could join the patients for lunch. To accommodate all patients, staff planned two days of activities. Half of the rehab patients participated on one day; the other half on the next day.
Physicians had to write orders for the patients to participate. The family had to sign the same release form the hospital requires for any off-campus trip or weekend pass. A few days before the picnic, a therapist was assigned to each patient who planned to participate. The therapist filled out a functional status and goal sheet that was attached to the back of the patient’s wheelchair on the day of the event. The therapist also checked off specific activities the patient was interested in trying.
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