Investigation of the Effects of Sport, Exercise and Recreation (SER) on Psychosocial Outcomes in Individuals with Disabilities

摘要

Investigation of the Effects of Sport, Exercise and Recreation(SER) on Psychosocial Outcomes in Individuals with DisabilitiesudJustin Zebulon Laferrier, PhD(c), MSPT,OCS,SCS,ATP,CSCSudUniversity of Pittsburgh 2012ududSport, exercise and recreation continues to be an important tool for health, fitness and social change as well as for individual rehabilitation. The concept that someone with a disability can be athletic and compete at high levels of sport has helped remove the stigma of being sick that was long been associated with a physical or cognitive impairment. Despite a surprising lack of scientific evidence, sport and recreation has been used to augment and enhance rehabilitation programs for well over 50 years. Clinical experience and anecdotal accounts report that people that participate in sport, exercise and recreation (SER) have fuller and healthier lives, with increased psychosocial well-being and improved quality of life. While there have been countless stories of positive life changing experiences related to involvement in adaptive sport and recreation there is a paucity of scientific evidence to support these claims. udAs disability rates continue to rise throughout the population funding for rehabilitation programs is steadily decreasing and patient stays are getting shorter and shorter. Due to these issues treatment plans my not be as comprehensive as would be considered optimal and patient outcomes can suffer. Medical providers are continually looking for the most effective way to provide the best possible care and maximize patient outcomes. udDeveloping an evidence base to support the benefits of (SER) will serve multiple purposes. First it would help to educate medical providers and assist them in developing the most effective treatment plans and rehabilitation programs, allowing them to make the best use of available time and resources. Second, it would provide a knowledge base to train outside programs, trainers, and coaches as to what is most effective as the majority of these individuals are generally not medical providers. Third, it would serve to educate third party payers and possibly lead to reimbursement for equipment and services. Most importantly it would provide an avenue for Veterans with disabilities to return to a fuller, healthier life.