Baycrest

KL-CARE Annual Report 2016-2017 Page 18 CLINICAL SERVICES SUPPORT PLEASE PROGRAM EVALUATION An evaluation of the Program for Leisure Engagement for Active and Spontaneous Engagement (PLEASE) The Therapeutic Recreation team and Volunteer Services at Baycrest have collaborated to create PLEASE - an innovative, resident-centred program delivered by volunteers to engage long-term care residents in leisure activities. The PLEASE program offers comprehensive training to volunteers to provide residents with one-on-one and small-group activities. Residents can choose to participate in a range of activities such as singing, reading, and playing games. The goal of this program is to foster residents' continued abilities and strengths by cultivating relationships between the residents and volunteers, and also with staff and family members. KL-CARE evaluated the PLEASE program on two units in the Apotex Centre to determine its feasibility and impact on residents. KL-CARE compiled a toolkit to evaluate spontaneous activity engagement programs, which included a rating tool to observe the residents. It also included satisfaction surveys that explored PLEASE and its training program. The results from KL-CARE's analysis demonstrated increases in residents' activity engagement and enhanced quality of life. Baycrest staff and volunteers commented that the PLEASE program had a positive impact on the residents. KL-CARE's findings also highlighted that it is feasible to train a cohort of volunteers to provide person-centred activities for long-term care residents. This study helped to provide greater awareness of the ways in which volunteers can facilitate activities and engage with long-term care residents. KL-CARE continues to collaborate with Therapeutic Recreation, Volunteer Services, and other researchers to help foster Baycrest's vision of transforming the experience of aging by enriching the lives of long-term care residents through innovative approaches to care.

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