“Three Links is exactly what I imagined when I decided to pursue a career in recreation. Everyone here cares about the residents,” says Katlyn Twiddle. A recent grad of the Douglas College Therapeutic Recreation program, Katlyn is one of the newest members of the Three Links team. She facilitates programs for residents on Sundays and Mondays, including chair exercises, sensory station, and arts and crafts, among others.

Katlyn has known that she wanted to work with seniors since she started visiting her grandpa and grandma in their care facilities. She loved the visits and found herself wanting to get to know the other residents in the facility. “There were so many people who were interesting to talk to and who wanted to chat,” says Katlyn. When she asked herself what kind of work she would like to do with seniors, the answer was obvious. She is an accomplished singer-songwriter and painter, so it was a no brainer to combine her fondness for seniors with her love of the arts into a career as a recreation therapist.

It turns out that working with seniors has not only been an opportunity to share her artistic skills, it’s allowed them to blossom. “I used to be really shy and only played my guitar in my basement,” she confesses. “But now I play in front of the seniors because they don’t mind my mistakes. We have a laugh together.”
Katlyn’s dream is to write songs with the seniors she works with. She says that she loves the idea of helping someone share a message that they’ve always wanted to express. She took the first step in that dream recently, by helping a resident to write the following poem.

Things to Think About
I am wishing that everyone could enjoy.
And wonder if I can go back to figure skating,
As I imagine I am a really good skater.
I am wanting to do the best I can with the people I have around me.

I am Millie Rempel, and I am doing the best I can.
I worry about what I am going to worry about.
I see with my little eye, all the different things around me.
And I want a world where everyone cares for one another, and there is fun.

I understand that lots of people have things to say,
And I wonder where they are going, and why.
But I always try to be good to people, and help them out in any way;
And I always try to be nice.

Written by Millie Rempel
January 11, 2018