Empowering Residents Through Therapeutic Programs at Transitions Healthcare Washington PA

At Transitions Healthcare Washington PA, the Therapeutic Programs Department is transforming resident engagement by designing adaptive equipment and customized programs for individuals with disabilities, including those who are quadriplegic or differently abled. Their mission is clear: create inclusive, meaningful experiences that promote active participation, strengthen muscles, improve fine motor skills, enhance reaction time and balance— all of which contribute to better Activities of Daily Living (ADLs), greater independence, and an improved quality of life.

Innovating Adaptive Equipment for Participation

With over 30 years of experience, the Director of Therapeutic Programs, Garnett C. Henderson, Sr. CTRS/BSR is developing the team to understand that true engagement begins withaccessibility and functionality. Garnett has taken extraordinary steps to modify and createequipment that allows all residents to participate actively in programming, while simultaneouslyworking on their physical and cognitive well-being. His interventions include:

• Modified modular units to create tables or desks that accommodate wheelchairs, ensuring that all residents can comfortably join group programming while maintaining proper posture and upper-body engagement.
• Adaptive stabilizing systems that help those who have fine motor skill challenges or have lost the use of an extremity, enabling them to develop control, coordination, and strength in their available muscles.
• Custom-designed games and crafts that can be adjusted for participants based on their functional abilities, ensuring that everyone can contribute, strengthen key muscle groups, and refine motor coordination.

Adaptive Recreation: A Bowling League for All

One of the standout programs is the weekly bowling league, which brings together over 20residents every Wednesday. This program is not only recreational— it also serves as atherapeutic exercise that improves hand-eye coordination, muscle strength, and balance.For example, one gentleman, an incomplete quadriplegic, who has no fine motor skills, uses theadaptive equipment designed, created, and built by Garnett, to compensate for his physical deficit. Bowling helps him maintain and even build strength in the areas he can still control, improving his overall mental outlook. To support his unique abilities,Garnett has designed a specialized sweeping (or shoveling) apparatus that allows him to roll theball down the lane with controlled movement and coordination.

Putting the “Fun” in FUNctional

In addition to bowling, Garnett has created modifications for other popular programming likecornhole. Unlike bowling, where a ball is rolled toward pins, cornhole requires tossing bean bagstoward a target board with a hole in it, helping residents develop arm strength, improvecoordination, and refine their motor control.

To ensure inclusivity, Garnett has designed a hook apparatus that allows residents with limitedgrip strength or mobility to successfully throw the bean bags, engaging their shoulders, arms, andcore muscles to maintain balance and control. These adaptive solutions help residents buildessential strength for everyday tasks, such as dressing, lifting objects, and self-care.

Another beloved activity is balloon volleyball, which focuses on active range of motion, trunkmobility, and reaction speed. Residents engage their upper body muscles, core stability, andcoordination as they reach, block, and strike the balloon— all while enjoying a FUNctional,social game that keeps them physically active.

For those who prefer cognitive-focused activities, the department offers:

• Project-Making Groups: Encouraging decision-making, problem-solving, sequencing, planning, and organization, particularly beneficial for residents with memory issues or dementia. These activities engage fine motor skills while stimulating cognitive functions.
• Group Checkers: Fostering strategic thinking, hand-eye coordination, and problem-solving skills while encouraging social interaction and engagement.
• ‘The Price Is Right’ & Other Game Shows: Providing cognitive stimulation through recall challenges and reality orientation exercises, helping residents sharpen memory, attention, and response time.

The “Why” Behind Every Activity

The Therapeutic Programs Department at Transitions Healthcare Washington PA operates with aclear philosophy: All programming must be FUNctional.For example, raising one’s arms overhead during a game isn’t just about scoring points — it’sabout maintaining mobility for essential self-care tasks like dressing, brushing hair, or brushingteeth independently. These carefully crafted interventions ensure that residents are not onlyentertained, but also actively improving their physical and cognitive abilities to maintainindependence.

Commitment to Inclusion, Strength, and Independence

The tremendous efforts of the Therapeutic Programs Department go beyond providingentertainment — they are empowering residents, fostering independence, and improving overallquality of life. By adapting equipment, modifying activities, and tailoring interventions toindividual needs, they ensure that every resident, regardless of ability, can participate, strengthentheir body, enhance their cognitive skills, and thrive.

At Transitions Healthcare Washington PA, ability is never a limitation— it’s an opportunity forinnovation and growth.