The pandemic caused a lot of workers to shift their focus and priorities, and Tyler Kearney was among them.
Kearney had worked as a personal trainer in the health and fitness field for a decade when COVID forced him to rethink his career path.
Kearney says knowing the province’s aging demographic and the fact that many seniors in long-term care were isolated and unable to get out and around during the pandemic is what caused him to shift to therapeutic recreation.
Kearney was part of a group of Academy Canada volunteers who helped residents of Westbury Estates Seniors Living in Southlands celebrate Mother’s Day on Friday.
They did the hair and nails of residents before their pictures were taken. Kearney jokes he even got a bit of a makeover himself.
Before he knew it, one of the residents had grabbed a brush and painted his nails red.
Kearney says while there is a lot of overlap between therapeutic recreation and personal training there is a lot of cognitive work involved too. He says he loves the new career path.
He was well trained in the field of keeping people active and fit, but he wasn’t prepared for the cognitive side of his new career—keeping people engaged and maintaining mental activity.