Patient Handbook - NIH Clinical Center - National Institutes of Health

RECREATION THERAPY SERVICES
The Department of Rehabilitation Medicine’s
recreation therapy section’s mission is to help
patients cope with the stress of hospitalization,
function at their highest possible level, and
maintain their quality of life while managing illness
and experimental treatment. Individualized
recreation therapy plans can be established with
a physician’s order. The section offers both treatment
and recreational activities.
Recreation therapy clinic and relaxation room
Location: 1st floor Hatfield Center, Rehabilitation
Medicine Department
Activities: Wii game system, crafts, special
programs and relaxation training
Patient game room
Location: 3rd floor North East wing
Activities: billiards, foosball, board games, puzzles
a big-screen television
Patient fitness center
Location: 7th floor, Hatfield Center
Equipment: treadmills, a recumbent bicycle,
elliptical trainers, and strength training equipment.
Before patients can use the fitness center,
their NIH doctor must sign a medical clearance
form. Patients’ guests and family members must
sign a release form before they can use the exercise
equipment. A recreation therapist will orient
patients and their guests to the equipment.
Recreation Therapy Section playroom
Location: 1st floor, Hatfield Center
Activities: Family-centered care activities for
patients, siblings, and young visitors of adult
patients. The playroom has electronic games,
children’s crafts, board games, an aquarium and
two resident guinea pigs.
30 Patient Handbook
S E C T I O N F O U R
Patient Library
The patient library is open to patients and their
families and friends. Popular and bestselling
books, DVDs, audiobooks, and music CDs for
adults and children may be borrowed. Materials
in Spanish, French, Chinese, and other languages
are also available. More than 20 popular
magazines, The Washington Post, New York
Times, and Wall Street Journal are available daily
in the library. Patients and guests may access
the Internet on computers in the library. Patients
may browse the library’s online catalog
from their bedside computers. Library staff will
also arrange for guest accounts on the NIH
wireless network for those coming with their
personal laptops.
Other programs:
Community outings - Trips into the community
to movies or sightseeing take place regularly.
Animal-assisted therapy - Several times a month,
specially trained dog owners bring therapy dogs to
visit both adult and pediatric patients. A therapist
can also use animal-assisted therapy to help
patients on a case-by-case basis. Strict infection
control procedures are followed to assure the
health and safety of everyone involved.
Your NIH physician and members of your
treatment team may recommend other recreation
therapy services. Additional information
is available on the Patient Recreation Activities
Calendar.
ROUNDS
NIH doctors, physician assistants, as well as
nurses, nurse practitioners consultants, specialists,
students, and trainees periodically make
group visits to the patient care units to review