Recreational therapy.

What inspired you to become a recreational therapist? Hill: I started volunteering at a hospital for terminal cancer patients. From that, I got into the idea of working in recreational therapy. I really think it has very positive results in people's lives.

The Wartburg's Geriatric Life Empowerment Project (GLEP) has been described as "physical therapy for the brain." What type of work do you do with the program participants? Hill: I'm officially working in the recreation part of the program. I have a class in arts and crafts, a class in horticulture, and I'm teaching Spanish. The Spanish class is really very structured. The residents actually want to take notes up to their rooms and do homework. They're doing a really surprising job. The other day, they didn't want to go down to the "happy hour" where the whole facility joins together for cheese and juice. They wanted to keep going with the Spanish. They want to learn. Some of them feel they're "too old" to learn, but they like to have their minds stimulated. I try to bring in experiences from the outside as much as possible. We watch for dates such as Chinese New Year, St. Patrick's Day, Memorial Day, and so forth.

What other activities do the residents especially enjoy? Hill: They love the travel and nature programs. In our travel programs, we'll show a movie but we'll stop every few minutes and discuss what's going on. We did a program the other day about conditions in Tibet and China. One of the residents actually calls this "Wartburg College."

What is most important in working with the elderly and planning activities for them? Hill: The thing is to try and identify with somebody and find out what their background is. Because you're going to have some who like Beethoven and others who like country-western. Give as much variety as you can, because they need stimulation.

Do many people tend to talk down to the elderly? Hill: Oh, I was so amused. I was applying for long term care insurance and when the man found out how old I am, he started ... to ... talk ... very slowly ... like ... this ... to me. And you get that a lot. Of course, my great aunt was riding a bicycle at 96--so I have plans.

Is there an advantage in being close in age to the residents with whom you work? Hill: Yes, because I can understand that they don't always want Beethoven; that they are of very mixed backgrounds. Each is an individual with his or her own interests. And I can identify with some of them, being of the same generation. I think it helps. I like to treat the residents as friends rather than, 'Oh, dear darling, you've got this bad leg."

Where do some facilities fall short when it comes to providing activities for their residents?

Hill: When I was working toward a certificate in horticultural therapy at the New York Botanical Gardens, we visited many facilities. Some were excellent. But in others, you'd see people just sitting in the passageways and not doing anything. Those who plan activities in these facilities need to identify more with the residents--"do as you would be done by" is a big factor.

What has been most rewarding in working with the GLEP program?

Hill: We're prompting the residents' memories. One of the best presents I've had was just two days ago. A man gave me a little envelope, and it had a whole bunch of hair in it. He had actually remembered from last February, when I'd asked the GLEP participants to save the clippings when they had their hair cut. We planned to go out together and put the hair in the bushes so the birds could use it for their nests. I hadn't even discussed it for at least three months, and this man actually remembered it and brought me his hair when he had his hair cut. It seems a little thing, but this particular man was a complete recluse until we started the program. Now he comes down in the morning before we're ready to open the doors. CLTC 

Rachel Hill, who grew up in the university town of Cambridge, England, has a passion for learning. In September 1998, following a career in the travel business, she entered graduate school--at age 72. Hill now holds two master's degrees: one in therapeutic recreation from Lehman College, Bronx, NY., and another in gerontology and thanatology from the College of New Rochelle. During her training, she worked at New York University's Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine and counseled transplant patients at Westchester County Medical Center. Now a recreational therapist at the Wartburg Adult Care Community in Mount Vernon, N.Y., Hill works with participants in the Geriatric Life Empowerment Project (GLEP), a state-funded pilot program designed to enhance quality of life for nursing home residents with mild to moderate dementia.