Angie Teal has been a recreation therapist at Providence Care for the last 31 years, most recently with the Transitions Home program that officially launched in November 2023. Angie visits patients in their homes and through individualized therapeutic activities, looks to improve the quality of life for individuals with physical, cognitive, emotional, and social limitations.
“I’ve always loved working in the community – and now I get to again! I love that no two days are exactly the same. So, I’m meeting lots of new people. I’m using a large variety of different therapeutic recreation tools right in patients’ homes. I am traveling all over the place, too, so it’s been an exciting new role for me. Thank goodness for Google Maps though,” jokes Angie.
The Transitions Home program serves the eastern region of Ontario, extending health care services from the hospital into patients’ homes upon discharge from inpatient stays at Providence Care. This allows for continuity of care, enhanced patient experiences and improved health care outcomes.
“We see patients before they leave the hospital. They get an opportunity to know who their care team will be at home before they are even discharged. We’re making sure that they have everything they need and have our support in place when they first get home, so they don’t have to wait on anything,” explains Angie.
The goal of the program is to make patients’ transitions home from the hospital as successful and positive as possible and allow them to remain living in the community with an enhanced quality of life. Health care professionals in the program include a clinical coordinator, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, recreation therapist and social worker that provide care for patients in their home.
For Angie, therapeutic recreation looks different for each patient as care plans are individualized.
“The socialization that recreation therapy provides every time we have interactions with patients is outstanding.”
The profession uses meaningful recreation and leisure education, counselling and experiences to promote, restore, rehabilitate, and/or maintain quality of life and well-being. Angie wants people to know that therapeutic recreation is so much more than arts and crafts – activities look different for each patient. Activities include anything ranging from a card game, to a sport, painting, knitting, social outings such as bowling, fitness classes, or simply walking a patients’ dog together. Angie explains that often, they adapt activities based on patients’ hobbies and interests.
Angie is passionate and dedicated to the profession – her latest challenge has been educating herself about the various communities she is visiting in the eastern region and what leisure activities might be available for patients that she can utilize. So far, she’s had wonderful luck.
“I’ve pretty much joined every community bulletin board on Facebook so I know what is happening in these various communities – it provides ideas for me to bring patients to events or cool things happening. I’ve also learned of so many different resources available in these communities that I can share with them.”
Angie says the best part about her new role in the community is seeing the drive and determination that patients have to overcome the obstacles they have faced in life – all while being comfortable in their own homes. Patients in the program are overcoming things such as strokes, amputations, and recovering from broken bones and falls, to name a few examples.
Clinical Program Coordinating Supervisor Sheryl Gibson says it’s been an amazing few months since the program launched. “I am so proud of the Transitions Home team as it’s been a successful and very busy 3 months since the program launched. An impressive 100+ referrals have been received to date and the team has been so responsive, ensuring successful transitions to the community. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for this valuable program.”
During this Recreation Therapy month we shine a spotlight on all of our Providence Care recreation therapists just like Angie, who continue to make a difference in the lives for our patients, clients and residents by providing and guiding meaningful therapeutic recreation. In their role, recreation therapists focus on whole-person care and help reintroduce the fun back into people’s lives.
“I believe it’s always the unexpected things that people face where they find the spirit to dig deep from within them to overcome any challenge. There are so many amazing moments in this role, it feels nice knowing I am making a difference,” says Angie.
Interested in a career as a recreation therapist at Providence Care? Check out our job opportunities!
Programs like Providence Care’s Transitions Home is bridging gaps in our local community. Are you interested in supporting health care in our local community? To learn more about how donor dollars are making an impact visit, www.uhkf.ca.
