RT Blog

Name:
Location: Indiana, United States

I became a Professor Emeritus after serving 29 years as a recreational therapy faculty member at Indiana University. I'm a long-time Hoosier, having grown up in Hanover, Indiana. My RT practitioner work was in psych/mental health. After completing my Ph.D. at the University of Illinois, my first faculty position was at the University of North Texas. RT has been a wonderful profession for me as I have had the opportunity to serve as an author and national leader.

Monday, February 28, 2011

TR South Florida Conference in May

From Allyson Dedic, CTRS, come this announcement:

Just another reminder about our 3rd Annual TR South FL Conference that will be held this May in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. The cost for this 3 day conference is only $100! There will be a networking social/vendor exhibit along with many other opportunities to network and meet more professionals.

We have some great speakers that are very prominent in South Florida and will provide insight to professionals across the country!

We are still accepting business vendors booths and sponsorships! Again, we ask for your help to spread the word to your contacts… it is our vendors and sponsors who keep our costs so low! We also like to promote small businesses and have provided some new opportunities for them to network!

Visit our website at www.whitehallboca.com/conference.html or email/call me directly! Our web designer said that if you have visited the site before, you may need to “refresh” the page for the updated info!
______________________________________________
Allyson Dedic, CTRS
Director of Therapeutic Recreation
Whitehall Boca Raton
7300 Del Prado Circle South
Boca Raton, FL 33433
(561) 237-3818 direct

241 Now on ATRA Listserv

I just distributed a message on ATRAnet, ATRA's listserv. The notice I received back indicated there are now 241 ATRA members on the listserv. I pushed for establishing the listserv and I'm really pleased it continues to grow in useage.

Free Glossary Available Online

Educators: As you plan for your summer and fall courses don't forget the glossary I authored, the Glossary of Recreation Therapy and Occupational Therapy, is available at http://hdl.handle.net/2022/6474

Practitioners: You should also find the glossary to be helpful and use it as a resource in providing clinical supervision with staff and interns.

Friday, February 25, 2011

"Elder Boomers" and RT Curriculum

Yesterday's post pleased me. It is always good to see RT promoted. I agree that our profession offers much more to those in it than do most professions.

One major reason for the need for and projected growth in RT is the ever expanding population of "Baby Boomers" (aka, "Elder Boomers") who this year are beginning to turn 65 years of age.

Because many RTs will be serving the graying Boomers in the future, it seems imperative that RT curricula properly prepare students by having students take gerontology courses -- including RT gerontology courses.

So if you are an educator and your students are not required to take gerontology courses and you have no RT gerontology courses, you had better get with it! The future of RT depends on being prepared to serve the growing population of old persons.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

RT is One of the Best Jobs Outside the Cubicle!

From today's Yohoo! Finance comes an article titled "The Best Jobs Outside the Cubicle." RT is one of the jobs listed!

Here is the article:
"The winter blahs are starting to set in, leaving many a cubicle dweller staring longingly beyond the gray half walls that surround them on three sides, wondering what else is out there.

In fact, there are quite a few cool and in-demand jobs outside the cubicle. Some capitalize on the demand for health care as Baby Boomers come of age, while others capitalize on the trends in technology and social media. Whatever the reason, these jobs aren't bound by Dilbert-onian rules.

'I think many people secretly fantasize about the freedom that working outside the office provides,' said Jeremy Redleaf, a filmmaker and creator of the job site Odd Job Nation. 'Jobs outside the cubicle allow you the freedom to construct the life that you want.'"

The article goes no to say this about RT:
Recreational Therapist
"As the Baby Boomer generation ages, demand for health-care workers is surging. But not all of those jobs require you to be in a doctor's office or hospital, which, let's face it, is the medical equivalent of a cubicle.

Recreational therapists help patients who were injured recover using all kinds recreational activities, from sports and games to arts, music and dance.

The average wage is about $40,000, according to the Labor Department.

The Labor Department projects demand for recreational therapists will outpace the average for all occupations in the next decade due to the aging Boomer population."

In addition to recreational therapist, other jobs listed included geologist, pilot, and tutor.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

How Can RT Profs Do Scholarship?

Today there are few R1 universities with RT curricula. Most recreational therapy curricula are housed at non-research intensive universities where faculty are expected to teach four courses each term.

How can faculty with such heavy teaching loads find time to write grants, do research, or contribute to the literature? It is a troubling question for which I really don't have an answer. Do you?

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Southeast RT Symposium to be held in May

Professor Thom Skalko, from East Carolina University, recently shared information with me on the 2011 SOUTHEAST RECREATIONAL THERAPY SYMPOSIUM. This year's title is "Celebrating 30 Years of Advancing Competent Practice."

The Symposium will be held May 18 – 20, 2011, at the Park Vista Hotel in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. A total of 1.5 CEUs will be available to particpants.

The Symposium Program looks wonderful. The Opening Keynote will be delivered by Peg Connolly of Western Carolina University. Bob Riley will give a presentation on NCTRC. Jeff Witman and Gene Hayes will present educational sessions. Thom Skalko, Ray West, Peg Connolly, and Pam Wilson will give sessions on the CARTE accreditation program. And Ed Kesgen will provide the Closing General Session.

For further information go to the Symposium website at www.musc.edu/srts

Monday, February 21, 2011

Resources on Ira Hutchinson

As you probably know, RT pioneer Ira Hutchinson recently passed away. Black History Month may be an appropriate time to pay tribute to Ira for his contributions to our profession.

If you are an educator, you may wish to have your students view the video on Ira made as a part of Indiana University’s Recreation Therapy Video Project (RTV Project). The RTV video featuring Ira is available via streaming from the IU Library and is titled “Portraits of Pioneers in Therapeutic Recreation.” Ira’s portrait is the second in Part I of the video.

A second source of information on Ira appears in Austin, Dattilo, and McCormick’s Conceptual Foundations for Therapeutic Recreation (2002, Venture Publishing). See a tribute to Ira in Chapter 18, “Leaders in Therapeutic Recreation,” authored by David Park (pp. 335 – 336).

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Reactions to Lessons Learned: An Open Letter...

I am extremely well pleased by the reception that my new Sagamore Publishing book has received.

The title of the book, is Lessons Learned: An Open Letter to Recreational Therapy Students and Practitioners. In the book I share concepts, ideas, and tips that I have gained over the course of nearly 50 years in our profession of RT.

I hope the book will be read by practitioners and that faculty will adopt it for use in their courses. It has the advantage of a relatively modest price -- I believe the cost is $20 for a print copy and around $15 for the ebook version.

In Lessons Learned I've attempted to write conversationally making the book very reader friendly. It's format uses many short lessons (i.e., chapters). Most are 2 or 3 pages in length, with a few being 1 page and a few 5 pages.

Most who have read it seem to like the book's content and format. Here are some quotes from practitioners and faculty:

From recreation therapist and webmaster of the TR/RT Directory Charlie Dixon: “This is an excellent read – every recreation therapist, either starting out or a veteran, should read this wonderful book.”

From Professor Kari Kensinger: “Great book, Dave.”

From recreation therapist Sally Brindle: “It is great! Especially for a new person in the field or one thinking of going in. It is telling me that I chose the field of RT for the right reasons.”

From Professor Youngkhill Lee: “I enjoy your new book a lot. Students like to read as each lesson was short but easy to read. Plus, they like it as you took a conversational style in your writing. We sometimes use 4-5 lessons at one time; at other time, we use 1-2 lessons. Last week, we talked about definitions of TR and the lessons 1-6 contain a lot of good stuff to talk. We'll be talking about practice models tomorrow. Again, your lessons include your thoughts and reflections on this matter and I am expecting lively discussions tomorrow. Again, thank you for writing this book for us.”

From practitioner Pam Higginbotham: " Awesome book!!!Thank you soo much again! Having learned the lessons now, so later on the mistakes are not repeated! :)"

From Professor Jeff Witman: “I like the book Dave, important content presented in a thoughtful and engaging format. I've used several chapters as readings with my RT seminar students and plan to adopt it for my programming/leadership class next year. Appreciate all that you do for the field, Jeff”

Please do pass along any reactions to Lessons Learned to me. I enjoy reading them and sharing them with others who may purchase or adopt the book as a result of what you have to say.

Oh, and copies of Lessons Learned may be purchased directly from Sagamore Publishing's website. I believe Amazon.com also offers the ebook version of the book.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

AJRT Reminder

American Journal of Recreation Therapy is the journal of record in the field and enjoys an exclusive partnership with ATRA. The journal is guided by a distinguished Editorial Review Board led by Editor-In-Chief, Professor Linda Buettner, PhD, LRT, CTRS. Dr. Buettner has a long standing reputation as one of the country's most respected leaders in the challenging field of recreation therapy.

As Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Buettner defines the journal's leadership role at a time when the spotlight has been switched on to the rising problem of abuse and poor quality of care for the disabled and long term care patients. The journal deals with all aspects of recreation therapy including:

- Basic Science and Research in RT
- Innovative RT therapies for pediatrics, rehab, mental health, and geriatrics
- Evidence to support recreational therapy
- Innovative education and training for recreational therapy students
- Best practices for various disability groups
- Advocacy and public policy issues vital to the profession
- and more...

Subscribe to our eJournal today at ejournal.recreationtherapy.org

For other details, contact the publisher, Weston Medical Publishing at 781-899-2702, or visit the Web page at www.recreationtherapy.org

Some personal reflections on Ira Hutchinson

I got to know Ira during a TR conference, Metromorphis, held at the Palmer House in Chicago. I believe that was in 1969. I was a young rec therapist working at Evansville State Hospital in Indiana.

I recall that I was able to talk with him during a social function at the conference, and while he was a "name" in the field at the time, he took the time to talk to me. That is something I've always remembered and I've attempted to use Ira as a role model over the years as that interaction was important to me as a developing RT.

Ira J. Hutchison (1927 - 2011)

(The following information on Ira Hutchinson was provided by Bessie Sherman, Director of Mintority University Outreach Office, Workforce Management, Washington,DC. It has been slighly edited.)

Former Deputy Director of the National Park Service, Ira J. Hutchison, died February 12, 2011, in Silver Spring, MD.

During a 55-year career in parks and recreation, Mr. Hutchison served in the National Park Service from 1972 to 1983 and was the first African-American deputy director of the National Park Service.

Mr. Hutchison was born in Topeka, Kansas, and after high school there served in the U.S. Navy from 1944 to 1946. He was a multi-sport athlete in high school and wanted to be a coach. He was graduated from Kansas State University in 1950. There were few coaching positions for African-Americans in that time, a hard fact that turned him to parks and recreation.

Mr. Hutchison learned of a pioneering program at the Topeka State Hospital which used recreation activities as therapy for mentally ill patients. He started as a psychiatric aide at the hospital and learned the context of work with the mentally ill. He spent 13 years at the hospital and moved to athletic instructor, later to recreational therapist and in 1954 became the hospital's recreation director.

He spent much of the 1960s in New York City. He earned a master’s degree in therapeutic recreation at Columbia Teachers College in New York City. As part of the master’s program he organized the city’s first specialized recreation program for narcotic addicts at the Westside Rehabilitation Center. He said this was the most emotionally demanding group he ever worked with. He became recreation director at St. Vincent's Hospital in New York in 1965.

Mr. Hutchison’s years in New York led to the National Park Service where, in 1972, he was named chief of community programs for the National Capital Parks region. In 1974 he was appointed superintendent of National Capital Parks - East where he was responsible for 150 to 300 professional and support employees. His tenure coincided with the nation's Bicentennial celebration and Mr. Hutchison was responsible for coordinating many of the events and projects associated with that celebration in the Washington D.C.area.

Mr. Hutchison gave special emphasis to NPS sites in his jurisdiction that were in minority neighborhoods and had traditionally received fewer resources than other NPS sites. The result was major restoration and renovation of these facilities and marked upgrades in the quality of services offered at these sites.

After a short period as superintendent of Gateway National Recreation Area in New York City, Hutchison returned to Washington D.C. to become the first African-American deputy director of the NPS in 1977. In this role, he worked closely with the NPS director and other senior managers in planning, developing, administering, protecting, and interpreting the NPS to the public. In effect, he was primarily responsible for the internal day-to-day management of the agency. His focus on the contributions of recreation to human physical and mental development offered a different and complementary perspective to the traditional natural resources management focus of the NPS.

In 1983 he moved from the NPS to the Office of the Secretary of Interior with a mandate to create greater opportunities for minorities and women.

This was Interior's programmatic response to President Reagan's executive order to federal departments to increase the involvement of historically black colleges and universities in the work of agencies. Mr. Hutchison started a cooperative education program involving 15 predominantly African-American colleges and universities. This program provided training and employment for African-American youth prior to graduation and career opportunities for them after graduation. During his tenure, a program was initiated to provide accelerated management training and follow-up career opportunities for women and minorities. Those completing this training moved immediately into management positions in the NPS.

As a pioneer in the therapeutic recreation field, Mr. Hutchison sought out his peers around the country and he found the National Association of Recreational Therapists. Over time, he rose to leadership positions in this professional association that, in 1966 merged with other recreation groups to form the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA). In the same year he was elected president of the Therapeutic Branch of NRPA. Halfway through his presidential year the executive director of NRPA invited him to join the executive staff of the new organization as director of its therapeutic programs. His long and proven track record brought the credibility and respect NRPA sought to encourage others to join the organization. Subsequently, Mr. Hutchison moved to other executive positions in NRPA, including directing its first urban affairs thrust.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

242 Now on ATRAnet

I just submitted a post to the ATRAnet listserv. With confirmation came a message that ATRAnet now has 242 signed up for it. This figure is a big jump from the 160 or so number that seemed ATRAnet was "stuck on" for awhile.

I really pushed for ATRA to establish a listserv. I'm very pleased it is starting to become a valued service for ATRA members.

ATRA Calls for Papers

The American Therapeutic Recreation Association (ATRA) has announced "Calls for Papers."

ATRA writes: In addition to the 2011 Annual Conference Call for Papers, we are pleased to release the 2011 Research Institute Call for Papers. Deadline for submision for the conference is March 15, 2011. Deadline for submission to be included in the Research Institute is March 14, 2011.

Monday, February 14, 2011

Happy Valentine's Day to all RTs!

Friday, February 11, 2011

UNCG Talk

I had a great time this afternoon interacting with faculty and students from the University of North Carolina Greensboro. It is always fun to spend time with bright, enthuiastic students -- and the UNCG students were just that.

I read from my new book, Lessons Learned: An Open Letter to Recreational Therapy Students and Practitioners, and then we discussed the reading.

Special thanks to Professor Linda Buettner for inviting me to the UNCG campus.

Pet Partners Team Training Course

From Linda L. Buettner, Ph.D., CRTS, LRT, comes this announcement:

Pet Partners® are person-animal teams who have taken training about how to visit people in hospitals, nursing homes, schools, etc. Pet Partner Handlers are not required to have an animal in order to take the course or to be registered.
If you would like to become a Pet Partner, here is an exceptional opportunity:
Part 1: Pet Partners Course (12 hours)

This course is designed for human handlers ONLY. NO PETS ON THIS DATE.
Minimum age is 10 years (under 17 must have parent onsite).
Participants will be able to work with any registered Pet Partner animal after completion of course and screening.

Date: Time: Saturday, April 16 8:30 am – 8:30 p.m. (Bring lunch and snacks)
*Evaluations with pets will be scheduled for a later date after this course.
Event location: The Center for Healthy Aging and Living
Gateway University Research Park
5900 Summit Ave
Brown Summit, NC 27214
FOLLOW THE POSTED SIGNS from parking lot

Local Contact for More Information: Linda L. Buettner, Ph.D., CRTS, LRT llbuettn@uncg.edu (PREFERED CONTACT METHOD)
Or call Amy Chandler at 336-334-5327 to leave a message.
Please visit: http://www.deltasociety.org/

DPG Workshop

From Lin Buettner, PhD, LRT, CTRS, comes the following:

DPG Workshop - General InformationWorking as a recreational therapist with individuals who have dementia and Alzheimer's Disease can be challenging, especially when you encounter behavioral problems. This all day intensive course will provide you with ATRA's exclusive training for utilizing Dementia Practice Guideline for Recreational Therapy: Treatment of Disturbing Behaviors, authored by Linda Buettner, Ph.D., CTRS and Suzanne Fitzsimmons, MS, RN. After completing the course and passing the competency exam with a score of 70% or higher, participants will receive a Certificate of Training and will be listed in ATRA's upcoming online Dementia Practice Directory. The competency certificate and training is valid for three years. Join us for the day while learning to use interventions to minimize challenging behaviors and effectively enhance the quality of life of individuals with dementia.

Intended AudienceThis workshop is designed for recreational therapists working with senior adults in a variety of settings, but particularly in long term care (LTC) settings. Other disciplines such as nurses and rehab professionals are also encouraged to attend.

ProgramThe next scheduled workshop is to be hosted by the University of North Carolina at the Gateway University Research Park in Browns Summit, North Carolina, on April 16, 2011. Online registration is open, and a printable registration form is available.

Review the program's basic information and schedule. Chapter Affiliates or facilities interested in hosting a future conference can apply by contacting ATRA with an interested attendance of twenty or more. Please contact the office for more information on future DPG workshops

Contact Information/Questions

On-site Contact: Linda Buettner, Ph.D., CTRS
Board Liaison: Mary Ann Aquadro, Ph.D., CTRS
Presenters: Linda Buettner, Ph.D.,, LRT CTRS and Suzanne Fitzsimmons, MS, ARNP

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Lessons Learned

I just saw an ATRAnet message that mentioned university faculty will soon be ordering books for summer and fall courses. Sure hope faculty will give consideration to adopting my new book from Sagamore Publishing, Lessons Learned: An Open Letter to Recreational Therapy Students and Practitioners.

My book is available both in print and as an ebook. I believe the cost is about $20.00 for the print version and $15.00 for the ebook. With student complaints about the cost of books, I believe Sagamore has priced the book well.

Farrington Assessment Tool

This is from Dr. Linda L. Buettner of UNCG:

Dear RT Friends and Colleagues,

Several of us have been working on revising the Farrington assessment tool (Buettner, Richeson, Connolly, Fitzsimmons) so that it aligns with the MDS 3.0 for use by recreational therapists working in skilled nursing settings. We have completed several revisions during the content validity phase (fall 2010) and now we need about 10-20 CTRS's to try the tool, provide treatment, and re-evaluate using the tool again after 2 weeks of RT interventions. We would need a pre- and post-treatment copy (without names or any personal information) to help us in the next phase of evaluation. We need to do this immediately to allow time for analysis before April 3-4, 2011 as I would like to present the findings at a MDS 3.0 think tank in Washington, DC.

It is an important time for all of us, but critical for LTC recreational therapists to prove their viability by providing physician ordered treatment and documentation in Section O. If you can assist us in testing this tool with Medicare eligible residents please contact me directly at: llbuettn@uncg.edu

I will email you the final copy of the RT Assessment for Long Term Care and the instructions for your use.

Sincerely,

Dr. Linda L. Buettner, LRT, CTRS, F-GSA, F-AGHE
Professor University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Wednesday, February 09, 2011

UNCG Workshop Friday Afternoon

Lin Buttner, from the University of North Carolina Greensboro, invited me to speak at the workshop this Friday from 2:24 to 4:15 at the University of North Carolina Greensboro. I'm looking forward to sharing information from my new book, Lessons Learned: An Open Letter to Recreational Therapy Students and Practitioners.

Certification Webinar from ATRA

From Jean E. Folkerth, Re.D., CTRS, comes this reminder:

Hello Everyone!
Just a reminder that the special webinar entitled "Certification 101" will be presented on February 17 at 7:00 p.m. EST. This webinar will review the certification process for students. It is at a special price of $25 with unlimited number of students allowed to be in attendance. If you can't make the actual time, know that you can use it on replay but you won't be able to ask questions. There will be NO CEUs given for this webinar. Go to the ATRA website and sign up today!

Tuesday, February 08, 2011

ISU Chair's Position & Mankato Position Still Listed

I had previously posted about the Indiana State University opening. I recently received another announcement that the Chair position for Department of Physical Education at ISU is open.

While the ISU department is the Department of Physical Education, it contains the recreation program including therapeutic recreation. Recreation faculty member, Steven Smidley, is serving as chair of the S&S Committee.

I also received a notice that the assistant professor position at Mankato State in Minnesota is still open.

Monday, February 07, 2011

NCTRC Topics via ATRA Webinar Series

Here is an announcement that I am passing along: NCTRC will be presenting various topics that may interest you through the ATRA Webinar Series C - Professional Issues

Session C1: State Licensure: Towards a Sustainable Future for Therapeutic Recreation
TR is at the crossroads of professional development. While many of the significant benchmarks for professional growth are well established, one area of neglect has been state legal recognition (licensure). This session will address the critical need for the establishment of state licensure for the practice of recreation therapy. It will provide an overview of the relationship between state licensure and national certification (NCTRC) and how these two credentialing processes can work effectively in unison. A review of the strategic steps necessary for the successful establishment of state licensure will be presented. In addition, a review of successful state licensure programs will be provided to help identify critical issues that exist within the state licensure procurement process.

Speaker/Host: ATRA Academy Faculty: Bob Riley, Ph.D., CTRS
Date: Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Time: 1:00PM(Eastern) /12:00PM(Central) /11:00AM(Mountain) /10:00AM(Pacific)
Duration: 1 hour

Session C2: NCTRC Specialty Certification
This session will introduce the NCTRC Specialty Certification Program developed to formally recognize CTRSs who have acquired advanced knowledge and experience in specific practice settings. Session content will include an overview of the Standards, entry qualifications, and recertification requirements pertaining to the Specialty Certification Program.

Speaker/Host: ATRA Academy Faculty: NCTRC Staff
Date: Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Time: 1:00PM(Eastern) /12:00PM(Central) /11:00AM(Mountain) /10:00AM(Pacific)
Duration: 1 hour

NCTRC will also be presenting Certification 101. This special webinar is for students and educators at universities/colleges that would like to be introduced to the certification process.

Speaker/Host: ATRA Academy Faculty: Robin McNeal, CTRS
Date: Thursday, February 17, 2011
Time: 7:00PM(Eastern) / 6:00PM(Central) / 5:00PM(Mountain) / 4:00PM(Pacific)
Duration: 1 hour

Please visit http://www.atra-online.com/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=8 for more information on registering for the webinar (s) of your choice!

Please contact NCTRC if you have any questions or concerns.

Saturday, February 05, 2011

TRO Conference June 1 – 3, 2011

I've beem invited to speak at the 2011 Therapeutic Recreation Ontario Conference. Yesterday I spoke by phone with organizers of the Therapeutic Recreation Ontario Conference to be held in Toronto June 1- 3, 2011, at the Marriott Eaton Centre. I found them to be very nice people who impressed me as being really well organized for the conference.

I'll be delivering the Opening Keynote Address for the TRO Conference and doing two sessions on my Health Protection/Health Promotion Model.

I’ve so enjoyed speaking at the Canadian Therapeutic Recreation Association Conference two years ago in Newfoundland and the Alberta Therapeutic Recreation Association Symposium last fall in Calgary that I am really looking forward to going to Toronto for the TRO Conference.

What is happening in RT with our colleagues to the North is impressive. I hope that Canadian and American RTs will do more to join together because we can learn much from them and, from my experiences, Canadian RTs are a wonderful group with whom to cooperate.

Friday, February 04, 2011

UNCG TR Workshop February 11th

From Professor Lin Buttner of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro comes this announcement:

Please share this message with your TR-RT colleagues and students!

Date of Workshop: Friday February 11, 2011 2:45-4:15 p.m.

Location: UNCG Main Campus, HHP Building Room 400. Park in the Walker Ave parking deck. We are just across the street.

TITLE OF SESSION: Lessons Learned: An Open Letter to RT Students and Practitioners

SPEAKER: Dr. David Austin is the author of over 100 articles and sev­eral textbooks, including the widely used book, Therapeutic Recreation: Processes and Techniques, now in its sixth edition. His most recent book is titled Lessons Learned: An Open Letter to Recreational Therapy Students and Practitioners.

He is the developer of one of the leading conceptual models in recreation therapy, the Health Protection/Health Promotion Model. He is the only individual to have received the NTRS Distinguished Ser­vice Award, the ATRA Distinguished Fellow Award, and the SPRE Distinguished Fellow Award.

CEUs: We have applied for Continuing Education Credits for this free workshop.(not approved yet) The filing fee is $10 to receive the official transcript after the workshop.

Please join us at UNCG Health and Human Performance Building Room 400 from 2:45-4:15 on Friday February 11 for this interactive and important workshop!

Florida TR Conference Offers 3 Days of CEUs for $100

From Allyson Dedic, CTRS comes a remider on the TR Conference “Working Together” May 18-20, Embassy Suites, Ft. Lauderdale. She reminds us that it is ONLY $100 for 3 days of CEU’s!

Allyson suggests you click on the link to see the sessions that we have scheduled!! http://www.whitehallboca.com/Resources/Schedule%20at%20a%20glance.pdf

If you are unable to open the link, please visit www.whitehallboca.com/conference.html and mid page you will see the link for “Schedule at a Glance”. We have some great sessions lined up!

NOTE: if you would like to be on our email list or mailing list, please email me and you will be added. Printed materials will be sent out later this month!

Allyson Dedic, CTRS
Director of Therapeutic Recreation
Whitehall Boca Raton
7300 Del Prado Circle South
Boca Raton, FL 33433
adedic@whitehallboca.com
(561) 237-3818 direct
(561) 392-6031 fax

ATRA Mid-Year Earlybird Rate Extended

Since some areas of the country have experienced power outages and communications difficulties, ATRA has extended the earlybird rate through Tuesday, February 15, 2011, to coincide with the extended period for ATRA's room rate.

TR Awareness Week in Canada

I noticed on the Therapeutic Recreation Ontario website that they celebrate "Therapeutic Recreation Awareness Week" during February 6 - 12, 2011. This time of the year is a good time for such an occasion because university students are on campus and RTs are not on summer vacations.

Why don't American RTs join their Canadian counterparts in holding "TR Awareness Week" in February?

Thursday, February 03, 2011

Are RTs More Healthy Than Most?

I've run across a couple of research articles that found that optimism predicts good health, lower death rates, and less depression. I've always thought that RTs are generally full of optimism.

I wonder then if RTs are more healthy than other people? What do you think?

Wednesday, February 02, 2011

Upcoming RT Meetings in 2011

Here are a few upcoming RT meetings in 2011:

March 6-8...ATRA Mid-Year Professional Issues Forum, Providence.
May 6...Oregon State Hospital TR Forum, Salem.
May 18-20...Florida TR Conference, Ft. Lauderdale.
September 18-21...ATRA Annual Conference,Indianapolis.

There have been posts on each of the meetings. See the RT Blog archives for details.

Tuesday, February 01, 2011

Exercise, Brain Volume Linked in Older Adults

University of Illinois researchers have reported that moderate exercise (e.g., walking) was found to increase hippocampal volume, which is associated with memory in men and women in their mid-60s. The findings suggest it's possible to overcome age-related decline in hippocampal volume with moderate exercise. This leads to better fitness and perhaps to better spatial memory.

Arthur Kramer was the lead author for the research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in 2011.

With so much research pointing to the benefits of exercise, it just makes sense for RTs working with older adults to provide physical activity programs.