Care provided that aligns with individuals specific interests is the key to providing person centered care.  Therefore, it is essential that health care practitioners are able to accurately assess and understand the preferences of the individuals they serve.

Understanding an individual’s preferences may enhance treatment outcomes
– Van Haitsma et al., 2012

Recreation Activity Assessments or Leisure Assessments are great tools for learning about resident preferences.  These assessment allow health care practitioners to distinguish one individual’s likes from another’s and helps to create a clearer picture of each individual’s personality which in turn may enhance their quality of life and care they receive.  Existing Leisure and Recreation Assessments may be used to investigate an individual’s preferences or a facility may create their own tailored to their specific environment, program, or individuals needs.

LEISURE ASSESSMENTS/INVENTORIES:

–Preferences for Everyday Living Inventory (PELI)
-Leisure Assessment Inventory
-Leisure Interest Survey 2.0
-Leisure Interest Measure
-Leisure Battery (satisfaction, interests, attitude, motivation)
-TR Activity Assessment
–Activity Assessment
–Activity Assessment

CREATING YOUR OWN ASSESSMENT:

Don’t know where to start? Why not use your own Facility Activity Calendar?!
List the programs you offer on a form/word document and circle or check areas that individuals self report as interesting.

Not interested in creating your own form? Use the actual calendar itself, highlight, circle, or check any programs your client would like to attend.

Consider listing the programs you offer by category. *See section on linking preference to attendance for further detail into how to group different activities under one preference category.

While creating your own assessment try to leave room for notes, for further probing into client interests or strong dislikes that may be noteworthy. What is important is to start a conversation into what your clients specific interests are so that we can begin the process of understanding them as an individual and providing person centered care.