Surprised with No Comment

Earlier this week I commented that I had read an article related to February being Black History Month and this made me recall a major figure in the history of receational therapy, an African/American by the name of Ira Hutchinson.

Ira was a real pioneer in RT. I had mentioned in my earlier post that he was active in the National Association of Recreational Therapists (NART) and later served as first president of NTRS and then the first executive secreatary for NTRS. He was a Founding Member of ATRA.

I also mentioned that Ira is featured in the video titled: "Portraits of Pioneers in Therapeutic Recreation and that this video and the entire 23 Recreation Therapy Videos are available at no cost from Indiana University via streaming at:
https://scholarworks.iu.edu/dspace/handle/2022/3378

I am surprised that there have been no comments regarding the earlier post. I think that during Black History Month that RTs should celebrate the contributions to RT made by Ira and other Black leaders. Do you agree?

Deadline for Application for LaRue Carter Opening

Tomorrow (February 26th) is the last day to apply for the Rehabilitation Therapist 4 position now open at Larue Carter State Hospital in Indianapolis.

If you are interested please visit the Indiana State Job Bank at http://www.in.gov/spd/2327.htm and follow the directions to apply online.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact Erin Smith by email or by phone:
317-941-4217
Erin.Smith@fssa.in.gov

Picker Institute Principles

I just became aware of the Picker Institute, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the principles of patient-centered care.

I went to the Picker Institute website where I found that the Picker Institute has listed principles for patient-centered care.

I found Picker's principles for patient-centered care interesting -- and believe they are generally ones that RTs share. You may wish to have a look at the principles to see what you think.

Fats and Recollections of MSH RT Days

I just read that Fats Domino will turn 82 this Friday. It hardly seems possible that Fats will be 82 years old.

It seems like only yesterday when I was a young RT at Madison State Hospital in Indiana and the patients and I listened to many Fats Domino songs.

Thinking about Fats makes me recall the power of music to return us to earlier times in our lives. Talking about performers, like Fats, may be a good way to get clients to recall earlier happening from their lives.

ATRA Supplies Link to RTV Videos

Thanks to the Alberta Therapeutic Recreation Association for posting on its homepage a link to the the 23 Recreation Therapy Videos.

Health Protection/Health Promotion Model

I am pleased that one of the most viewed of the Recreation Therapy Videos, with a count of 139, has been "Models of Practice: Health Protection/Health Promotion Model."

In this video, I describe my conceptual model for RT practice. If you have not viewed the video, I hope you will take 20 minutes to view it.

To view “Models of Practice: Health Protection/Health Promotion Model,” go to the website and click on the title of the video. The address is:
https://scholarworks.iu.edu/dspace/handle/2022/3378

Black History Month and Ira Hutchinson

In this morning's paper, I read an article related to February being Black History Month. Reading it made me recall a major figure in the history of receational therapy, an African/American by the name of Ira Hutchinson.

Ira was active in the National Association of Recreational Therapists (NART) and later served as first president of NTRS and then the first executive secreatary for NTRS. He was a Founding Member of ATRA.

To learn more about Ira or to have your students learn more about him, you can view an RTV video in which he is featured that highlights his contributions to our profession. The video is titled: "Portraits of Pioneers in Therapeutic Recreation."

This video and the entire 23 Recreation Therapy Videos are available at no cost from Indiana University via streaming at:
https://scholarworks.iu.edu/dspace/handle/2022/3378

ATRA Awards Nominations Sought

The ATRA Awards Committee is seeking nominations for ATRA awards for 2010. Nominations are due by June 4, 2010.

ATRA's award program is comprised of 11 different awards. See the ATRA website for information describing these awards.

RT Position Opening in Psych/Mental Health

Larue Carter State Hospital in Indianapolis currently has a position open for a Rehabilitation Therapist 4.

If you are interested please visit the Indiana State Job Bank at http://www.in.gov/spd/2327.htm and follow the directions to apply online.

This job will be posted until Feb. 26th.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact Erin Smith by email or by phone:
317-941-4217
Erin.Smith@fssa.in.gov

Bored to Death?

British researchers Annie Britton and Martin J. Shipley reported in the April issue of the Journal of Epidemiology that people may become “bored to death.”

They wrote:
Have you ever felt bored? Even found yourself with nothing engaging to do? Experienced a lack of interest in everything and everyone around you? Although not a pleasant state in which to find oneself, is boredom bad for health? In a rare moment of idleness one day, we pondered whether the expression “bored to death” has any basis. Are people who are bored more likely to die earlier than those who are not?

They concluded:
We conclude that those who report being bored are more likely to die younger than those who are not bored. However, the state of boredom is almost certainly a proxy for other risk factors. Whilst some aspects of life may not be so easily modified (e.g. disease status or position in society), proneness to boredom, particularly in younger populations, could be indicative of harmful behaviours such as excessive drinking, smoking, taking drugs and low psychological profiles. Finding renewed interest in social and physical activities may alleviate boredom and improve health, thus reducing the risk of being ‘bored to death’.

I believe this is an interesting study for RTs. It certainly suggests the importance of helping clients to engage in interesting leisure pursuits.

National Therapeutic Recreation Week

Celebrate Therapeutic Recreation! February 1 - 7, 2010, is National Therapeutic Recreation Week in Canada.

I can't help wondering: Why don't we in the USA celebrate TR/RT Week in February with our Canadian colleagues?

When we in the States celebrate during the summer when universities are not in session and many RTs are on vacation -- it seems to me that our friends to the North have it right in celebrating in February.

2010 Paralympics

The Vancouver 2010 Paralympics begin March 12th and run through March 21st.

New NCTRC Specialty Certifications

From the NCTRC e-News comes this information about NCTRC's new specialty certification program. Sounds like a timely idea to me. The story follows:

Have You Heard the News About Specialty Certification?

NCTRC is planning to launch a new specialty certification program during the next few months. The primary purpose of NCTRC specialty certification is to acknowledge the CTRS whose practice has reached an advanced professional level, and to provide formal recognition of competence beyond the CTRS credential. NCTRC specialty certification will provide an additional level of assurance to patients, consumers, and employers regarding the delivery of quality recreation therapy and therapeutic recreation services.

NCTRC plans to award specialty certification in the following five areas of practice:

• Physical Medicine/Rehabilitation
• Geriatrics
• Developmental Disabilities
• Behavioral Health
• Community Inclusion Services

The Specialty Certification Program is currently undergoing final testing using a pilot group of CTRSs. Stay tuned for future announcements about this exciting new program.

RTV Video Counts Interesting

I've often wondered if anyone was viewing the Recreation Therapy Videos now available via streaming from the Indiana University Library's IUScholarworks. I am happy to report that people are using the streaming technology to view the RTV videos.

The I.U.Library just sent me counts on the use of the Recreation Therapy Videos. The counts are from June of 2009 through January of 2010.

Care to guess which RTV video got the most viewers? It was a surprise to me that "Adaptive Equipment" (with a count of 214) was the most viewed. The second highest count was for "To Serve a Purpose" (with a count of 202).

The history videos also got good play. "Therapeutic Recreation History: The Modern Era" had a count of 182, while "Therapeutic Recreation History: The Formative Years" had a count of 149.

I was pleased that the next most viewed video, with a count of 139, was "Models of Practice: Health Protection/Health Promotion Model." "Models of Practice: The Leisure Ability Model" had a count of 107.

Other titles with counts over 100 were: "Effective Listening" (165) "Transfer Techniques" (165), "Individual Program Planning" (118), "Case Studies" (114), and "Documentation and Behavioral Observation" (108).

One of my personal favorites, "History of Therapeutic Recreation, Parts I,II,III," had a count of 95.

I was very surprised that "Professional Ethics," which I consider one of the best of the RTV videos, only was viewed 53 times. Another surprise was that "Clinical Supervision" was viewed only 70 times.

It did not surprise me that "Quality of Life" had a count of 91.

Other video counts were: "Computer Use in Therapeutic Recreation" (78); "Interactions with People who have Disabilities" (70); "Nonverbal Communication" (66); "Safe Transportation" (63); "Portraits of Pioneers in Therapeutic Recreation" (57); and "Feedback in Learning and Performance Situations" (40).

For the web address of the RTV videos, see the earlier post today.

Web Addresses for RTV Videos & Glossary

I've been asked to again supply the web addresses for the RTV videos and my Glossary. So here they are below:

The entire 23 Recreation Therapy Videos are available via streaming at:
https://scholarworks.iu.edu/dspace/handle/2022/3378

My Glossary of Recreation Therapy and Occupational Therapy is available at the following address:
http://hdl.handle.net/2022/6474

12 "Warning Signs" of Health

Once before I posted the 12 "Warning Signs" of Health but they are worth repeating:

1. Persistent presence of support network.

2. Chronic positive expectations; tendency to frame events in constructive light.

3. Episodic peak experiences.

4. Sense of spiritual involvement.

5. Increased sensitivity.

6. Tendency to adapt to changing conditions.

7. Rapid response and recovery of adrenaline system due to repeated challenges.

8. Increased appetite for physical activity.

9. Tendency to identify and communicate feelings.

10. Repeated episodes of gratitude and generosity or related emotions.

11. Compulsion to contribute to society.

12. Persistent sense of humor.


From: Nathan, A.A. (2003). The art of recreation therapy: Using activities as assessment tools. San Francisco: Study Center Press, p. 39. (Original source listed as: Collected from bulletin board, Waldport, Ore: author unknown).

Some Things You May or May Not Know About the TR Directory

I just visited the TR Directory that is run by Charlie Dixon, M.S., CTRS. Here are some things you may or may not know about the TR Directory:

1. It went online on December 28, 1995.
2. In 2004, ATRA presented the TR Directory its Organizational or Institutional Award for supporting and promoting TR.
3. In 2007, ATRA named Charlie Dixon ATRA's Outstanding Professional of the Year.
4. According to Quantcast.com the TR Directory receives over 22,000 visitors each month.
5. It is strange that while it is called the "TR Directory," its address is http://www.recreationtherapy.com

Hope those who follow the RT Blog occasionally check out Charlie Dixon's TR Directory.

Don't Know Much About (RT) History

There is an article in this month's issue of the APA Monitor titled "Don't Know Much About History: Educators Worry that the History Course May Become a Thing of the Past."

The article laments that the history of psychology may not be as important in some circles as it once was. And that some colleges no longer require a history of psychology course for psychology majors.

As I read this article, I could not help but wonder if some in our profession may discount the value of studying the history of recreation therapy? If they do, it is too bad because much can be learned from knowing history - something RT historians such as Ann James and Jerry O'Morrow make clear with their statements in the beginning of the RTV video, "The History of Therapeutic Recreation, Parts I, II, III."

For those instructing university courses there are a number of video programs to use to aquaint students with our history. In addition to "The History of Therapeutic Recration, Parts I, II, III," there are three additional RTV video programs on our history.

The three are: "TR History: The Formative Years;" "TR History: The Modern Era;" and "Pioneers in Therapeutic Receation, Parts 1 & 2."

All four of these RTV video programs on history are available via streaming from the Indiana University Library at no cost. The address is https://scholarworks.iu.edu/dspace/handle/2022/3378

Update on Punxsutawney Phil

In case you or your clients, or students, were wondering -- here is the latest on Punxsutawney Phil...

Just 20 minutes ago, the world's most famous groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, emerged before chilly revelers in western Pennsylvania to see his shadow, meaning winter will last another six weeks.

Research on Telerehabilitation

Indiana University Professor Meredith R.Golomb, M.D., M.Sc., of the School of Medicine and her colleagues have authored a research report titled "In-Home Virtual Reality Videogame Telerehabilitation in Adolescents with Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy."

It would seem to me that both RTs and PTs might have interest in this research.

The research appeared in the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in January of 2010 (Vol. 9, No. 1, pages 1-8).

Golomb and her colleagues concluded:
Use of remotely monitored virtual reality videogame telerehabilitation appears to produce improved hand function and forearm bone health (as measured by DXA and pQCT) in adolescents with chronic disability who practice regularly. Improved hand function appears to be reflected in functional brain changes.

The Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation article and an accompanying video demonstration can be found at http://www.archives-pmr.org