Jose Raez

LEI 4724
Activity: Independent Scavenger Hunt
submitted by Debbie Jerge of Activity Director - Bassett Manor Assisted Living on March 29,
2009
Link: http://www.recreationtherapy.com/tx/txhunt.htm
Size of Group: unlimited
Equipment: paper & pen
Objective: Particiants move throughout facility for physical activity. Participants become more
aware of their surroundings. This activity can be done independently.
Description:
Walk through your facility and make a list of items for example: picture of a barn, exit sign,
brown floor lamp etc. On your list write item and location. Then mix the items up on a list so that
they are not all in an order to be found. Put maybe 15 items on the list and leave a blank for
resident to fill in its location. If they turn in completed and correct answers I give out prizes:
mini candy bars. This gives participants a reason to walk through entire facility and makes them
more aware of their surroundings.
Leadership Considerations: For an added treatment outcome, facilitator may make a list of
places in the facility where the participants can partake in leisure activities. This can be an
effective way of teaching participants about their leisure resources.
Adaptations:
Arthritis is a very prevalent disability. It occurs among 1 in 7 individuals, and 1 in 3 families
have a member with arthritis. The most common type of arthritis is osteoarthritis. This is
degenerative and is caused primarily by the erosion of cartilage. As such, it mostly affects people
who are older than 45. Symptoms of osteoarthritis are stiffness, swelling, pain, and joint
deformity. Rheumatoid arthritis on the other hand is an autoimmune disorder that attacks a
persons joints. It also affects skin, blood vessels, muscles, spleen, heart, and eyes. They may
also have fatigue and tingling sensation in hands and feet. Therefore, the facilitator should make
sure the length of the game is not too exhaustive. The distance covered while walking should be
minimal. Furthermore, the pens should be extra thick to facilitate grasping.
Individuals with Autism, depending on the severity of the disorder, have a difficult time
understanding verbal instructions, so the facilitator should develop a more visual method of
demonstrating the activity. One possible way to do this is provide them with a list of pictures of
the places, instead of a written list. Facilitator may use generic pictures, or they may go around
the facility and take their own pictures. The facilitator should accompany the individual with
autism around, since these individuals have the urge to run into traffic.