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STATUS REPORT THERAPEUTIC RECREATION IN ILLINOIS
(Editors note: Jerry Kelley is President of the National Therapeutic Branch of NRPA, and with the Office of Recreation and Park Resources, University of Illinois. Dave Austin is a research assistant at the university.) In 1970 the senior author joined the faculty of the Department of Recreation and Park Administration at the University of Illinois as the Therapeutic Recreation Specialist in the Office of Recreation and Park Resources (ORPR). Two pressing needs were most apparent at the time and were placed as priority items on the agenda of ORPR. The first need was to commit the resources of the University to the task of assisting the Illinois Park and Recreation Society in its efforts to establish a viable professional organization to represent therapeutic recreation workers in the state. The second was to assess the "status of the art," so as to guide future professional development in the field. With strong leadership provided by many professionals around the state, the first task was accomplished with great success. The Illinois Therapeutic Recreation Society, both qualitatively and quantitatively, presently ranks as one of the outstanding state organizations of its kind in the nation. The second task, that of assessing the "status of the art," is an on-going process which must be continuously revised and updated. Recently, ORPR reached somewhat of a milestone in this endeavor by conducting an initial survey of therapeutic recreators in Illinois. In this article, the authors wish to highlight portions of this study. Preliminary work on the study was begun in 1971 (Kelley and Jeanrenaud) when a state-wide effort was conducted to identify all personnel employed in positions of providing recreation services for ill, disabled, and handicapped persons. More than 800 persons, who classified their full-time employment as being that of therapeutic recreation worker, were identified in this effort. Because of job changes, retirement and other forms of attrition, 650 of these individuals served as the initial population for the current survey. Three hundred and twenty-eight responded to a mailed questionnaire in the spring of 1972. This represented a return rate of slightly above 50%. Thus, a limitation of the study is that the number of respondents to the questionnaire represented only approximately one-half of the identified therapeutic recreators in Illinois. In addition, many other therapeutic recreation workers may not have been included during the original identification process. On the pages which follow, much of the survey data is shown in chart and graph form. Some preliminary observations concerning the data are summarized below. Age: The therapeutic recreation is youth oriented. Over 38% of the Illinois therapeutic recreators were under 31 years of age and over 60% were under 41 years of age. The data further suggested that young Illinois professionals are taking an active part in both state (Illinois Therapeutic Recreation Society) and national (National Therapeutic Recreation Society) organizations, since over 40% of the membership of both ITRS and NTRS are 30 or under. Sex: Females predominate in Illinois (69% female, 31% male). Females also predominate the ITRS membership (62.4% female) but do not predominate the Illinois NTRS membership (48.8% female). Place of Employment: Historically, mental health professionals have been the predominant group in the field of therapeutic recreation. Present data, however, indicates a growing involvement in therapeutic recreation by other types of agencies (mental health, 37.8%; nursing homes, 28.7%; sheltered care, 10.7% ; other, 22.9%). Nevertheless, mental health workers still predominate in memberships in ITRS and NTRS with over 50% of the membership of both societies. Types of Clients Served: Of all Illinois therapeutic recreators, 30.5% reported they served the aging; 28.4% served the mentally ill or emotionally disturbed; 20.7% served the retarded; 10.1% served Illinois Parks and Recreation 14 July/August, 1973 the physically disabled; and 10.4% served some other special population. Work Experience: Of therapeutic recreators working for the Department of Mental Health, 65.3% had over four years of experience. The least experienced workers were found to be employed in nursing homes and sheltered care homes. Education: While nearly one-half (46.9%) of the workers reported having at least a bachelor's degree, only about one-fifth (21.2%) of all workers had degrees in recreation. Salaries: While the overall salary picture appears dim (over 40% below $7,000 annual salary), there was much variation among agencies. For instance, over 80% of Department of Mental Health employees made over $7,000 yearly and 30% made over $11,000 yearly. In contrast, salaries for workers in nursing homes and sheltered homes did not fare so well in comparison. Opinion on Registration and Licensing: The overwhelming majority (almost 90%) of workers favored some type of registration or licensing of workers in the field. Career Plans: The large majority of Illinois workers expect to remain in the field five years from now. Only 11.6% anticipated that they would be working in the recreation field in five years. It seems clear, from the data gathered, that the field of therapeutic
Illinois Parks and Recreation 15 July/August, 1973 recreation in Illinois has made some significant strides over the past few years. Some positive signs found by the study are: (1) the attracting of young persons into the profession; (2) the active role young professionals are taking in the professional organization; (3) the large membership of females in the Illinois Therapeutic Recreation Society; (4) an increasing number of types of agencies serving special populations; (5) a concern shown for the recreation needs of the ageing in nursing homes and sheltered care homes; (6) competitive salaries paid by some departments and agencies; (7) a concern for professional standards through registration and/ or licensing programs; and (8) the attitudes of respondents concerning career plans suggest that the therapeutic recreation profession has achieved a stability which should provide a measure of confidence for existing students and other young people considering career opportunities in the field. On the other hand, there appear to be a number of real concerns for the profession. These are: (1) the lack of membership by females, senior staff, and non-degreed staff in the National Therapeutic Recreation Society; (2) the need to provide opportunities for staff development and career education to upgrade the educational proficiency of workers in the field; (3) a need to recruit more men into the profession; and (4) the need to increase salaries for many of the workers in the field. Final Comments While the survey data is encouraging in many ways, therapeutic recreation professionals cannot afford complacency. While it is true that increasing varieties of agencies are providing therapeutic recreation services, too many agencies are not yet serving the needs of special populations. All professionals should affirm a strong advocacy position for the rights of those citizens who are not receiving the services they need and deserve. While in some segments of the profession, salaries have increased dramatically over the past few years, this increase has not been shared by all. Professionals must be collectively concerned with the large numbers of workers in long-term care facilities who have not as yet shared in these benefits. Finally, in order to overcome obstacles in our collective commitment toward providing recreation services to all publics, strong state and national professional societies are a necessary element. The authors would urge all therapeutic recreators to join efforts in supporting the state and national societies which represent the profession in continuing the quest to provide quality services for all citizens.
Illinois Parks and Recreation 16 July/August, 1973
Illinois Parks and Recreation 17 July/August, 1973 |
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