Search

Training staff and volunteers is an important aspect of successful program implementation. This paper follows Part A of an evaluation of the Special Olympics Canada (SOC) Coaching Young Athletes Training course. Consistent with Kirkpatrick's four-level model of training evaluation, Part A evaluated program leaders' reactions to (level 1) and immediate learning from (level 2) the training. This Part B paper covers "on the job" behavior (level 3). In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with youth program leaders (n = 11) from eight provinces. Overall, participants felt that more training related to working with children with autism and promoting positive athlete behavior was needed. The findings also lead us to suggest that program leaders need to develop a more fulsome understanding of how to foster skill mastery, including how to practice the same skill in many and varied ways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Yoga is a promising mind-body intervention for improving health and wellbeing in a number of clinical populations. At this time, there is no evidence on the benefits of yoga for persons with spinal cord injury (SCI). Twelve participants with SCI were recruited into a mixed-methods program evaluation of an eight-week modified yoga program. At baseline and exit, participants were evaluated on pain, fatigue, psychological factors, and mindfulness with self-report questionnaires and semistructured interviews. Five participants completed the baseline and exit assessments. Significant changes were not found on any of the outcome scores. Qualitative analysis revealed main themes regarding expectations, benefits along emotional, mental, and physical domains, program satisfaction and recommendations. Participants reported highly enjoying the yoga intervention and the qualitative data indicated a number of therapeutic benefits (i.e., decreased stress, pain relief). Yoga appears to be a promising therapeutic recreation intervention post-SCI and a larger clinical trial is recommended to conclusively investigate both its objectively and subjectively measured benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Involvement in therapeutic recreation (TR) after experiencing a stroke is an important component of the rehabilitation process. The purpose of this study was to explore the role of community-based recreation in stroke recovery for 14 stroke survivors who had engaged in TR within a community-based stroke rehabilitation program in Canada. These individuals were co-researchers in a participatory action research project using a Photovoice methodology. Based on photographs and individual interviews that were analyzed using the constant comparative method, this study demonstrated that recreation facilitated experiences of hope, collective social support, and community engagement for these stroke survivors as they re-integrated into their communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]