Confronting ageism through therapeutic recreation practice

Abstract

Stereotyping based on age is one of the most tolerated forms of social prejudice in Canada. These discriminatory attitudes and assumptions have negative consequences on many aspects of life, including participation in leisure, particularly if these assumptions are internalized and accepted as reality. We consider the contributions of therapeutic recreation (TR) and TR practitioners in challenging ageism by advocating for a return to the roots of leisure, focusing on leisure’s potential to draw out individual strengths and abilities thereby resisting various forms of ageism through agency and action. We examine the field’s focus on biomedical outcomes and highlight how this paradigm serves to undermine opportunities for meaningful leisure experiences. We suggest ways by which a return to meaningful leisure in later life may enable older adults to resist discriminatory practices. We conclude by presenting a blueprint for TR practitioners that encompasses a broader, socially relevant scope of practice through self-reflection and action.