The impact of gerontology-focused competencies on recreation therapists’ expectations of aging
Tarah Loy-Ashe et al.
What the paper says
As the United States (US) population continues to age rapidly, healthcare professionals—including recreation therapists (RTs)—must be prepared to meet the complex needs of older adults. Despite the high percentage of certified therapeutic recreation specialists working with geriatric populations, gerontology-focused education is not currently required for certification. This quantitative study surveyed 410 RTs across the US and Canada to examine whether the completion of a university-level gerontology course influenced perceptions of aging. Using the Expectations Regarding Aging-12 survey, the study found that participants who had completed a 3-credit gerontology course reported significantly more positive perceptions of aging (mean = 71.38) than those who had not (mean = 69.67), with results reaching statistical significance (t(204) = 2.24, p = .026). While the effect size was small, findings suggest that gerontology coursework may positively shape RTs’ attitudes toward aging. The study underscores the need for the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification to consider incorporating gerontology-specific competencies into certification requirements. Doing so could help reduce ageism in care settings and enhance therapeutic outcomes for the growing population of older adults.
Evidence weight
Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40
| F · citation impact | 0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20 |
| M · momentum | 0.50 × 0.15 = 0.07 |
| V · venue signal | 0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03 |
| R · text relevance † | 0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20 |
† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.