Motivation to engage in therapeutic recreation programmes for older people with diabetes

Therapeutic Recreation programmes have been shown to have positive benefits for control of diabetes and its complications). As with most health promotion programmes, a major consideration for success of such programmes is the initiation into, and continuing participation of, individuals into programmes. Given the poor outcomes of diabetes on morbidity and mortality, understanding how to engage older people with diabetes in ways that are meaningful to them, is essential to ensure active and sustainable participation in the activities that can reduce these poor health outcomes. This study considers older people with diabetes, completing a Therapeutic Recreation (TR) programme and uses a phenomenological approach to examine the factors described as influential in encouraging their initial engagement in the programme.