The reason for freedom

Hello, my name is Veronica and I am the owner of Freedom Recreation. Freedom Recreation is a business that provides Therapeutic Recreation and Leisure Counselling services  for seniors and older adults in Thunder Bay.  

Since my first high school co-op placement in the long-term care wing of my hometown’s hospital, deep in my heart I have known that working with seniors was what I was meant to do. I completed my education in Social Service Work and Recreation Therapy, and through my work in these fields I saw a gap in service.

I noticed that more and more people were aging at home either by choice or out of necessity. Though there were plenty of services that offered personal support care in people’s homes, there did not seem to be any services available that offered recreation therapy. Families who had taken on the task of caring for a loved one did not always have the energy to provide recreational activities on top of all of their other daily responsibilities.  I also realized that though care facilities in our city offered excellent recreation programs, those programs did not always meet everyone’s needs. Since everyone has his or her own individual interests and abilities, one- on-one visits are key. Unfortunately, there has to be limitations to one-on-one recreation in facilities because the client to staff ratio is high. Families wanted more for their loved ones and I agreed that their loved ones deserved more.

I knew that I wanted to make a difference for these people, so I decided to create a recreation therapy business that brings custom-tailored programs and activities straight to the clients, whether they are in long-term care or at home. I wanted to design programs that gave people more attention and more time to guarantee that they were getting the most benefits out of their leisure time. This is more than a career for me, it’s a passion—a calling—and I’m committed to providing the best quality service to my clients.

If I have a client who enjoyed reading but no longer has the ability, then I will read to him/her. If he/she loved to dance but is now in a wheelchair, I will push him/her around and dance with him/her. I can take him/her on outings or we can stay in and have fun.  Whether he/she loves arts, crafts, music, sports, animals or games, I guarantee that I can design a program that meets his/her specific needs, interests and abilities.  It doesn’t matter if he/she is as fit as a fiddle or in the latest stages of Alzheimer’s, I am devoted to finding an activity that will best suit that him/her. I believe that regardless of ability, people are never too old to be young, and that living well is all about finding ways to make the most out of every hour, minute and second of each day.