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.

Saturday, June 30, 2012

Stress & Relaxation Techniques

From Disabilitygov:
Take Care of Yourself. Try Some These Stress & Relaxation Techniques. Also Available in Spanish! http://t.co/ZLvRfCiQ

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

A Message from the ATRA Board

A Message from the ATRA Board of Directors

To our dismay, several inaccurate rumors have reached our ears, and we suspect you have heard them

as well. Recently, someone has circulated information that the ATRA Board passed a motion that only

CTRSs who have a doctor’s order can practice recreational therapy. This statement is FALSE. The Board

recognizes that recreational therapy is practiced in a variety of settings. Some agencies have regulations

that require a physician’s order while others do not. Much of the inaccurate information being

disseminated is centered on the Standards of Practice Revisions. The Board has passed a motion to

approve the latest draft of the revisions in order to move forward to develop a process to gain

membership input and comment. Please look for more information on that process in the near future.

The ATRA Board members are committed to transparency with the ATRA membership and welcome

input, thoughts, and concerns. Some of the actions that members will see from the Board will include a

schedule of meetings at conferences, which are open to the public as well as a list of scheduled board

calls that happen between Board meetings, which are also open to the public. Minutes from meetings

will be posted on the ATRA website unless designated as a closed meeting. Until these procedures are

in place, the Board requests that members accept accurate information from only the current Board

members of ATRA and official ATRA communication such as the newsletter, ATRA updates and the ATRA

website. This Board is committed to serving the membership of ATRA, adhering to the by‐laws and

policies and procedures of ATRA, and upholding the standards and ethics of the Association.

We ask you to please use your best professional judgment to evaluate the information you hear

regarding ATRA and to question the sources of information. To date, this is the first and only official

ATRA communication about this matter. Anything else you may have heard so far can only be

considered gossip. As each of you know rumors and gossip can only serve to undermine and to divide.

Now more than ever, we need to move forward together.

We are a member organization, and your elected Board of Directors is committed to serving you and the

Association to the best of our abilities. We thank you for your dedication to your clients, for your

passion for the profession, and for your service to ATRA. There is much work ahead, and we look

forward to continuing our work together.

ATRA BOD

Diane Skalko, Carolee Rodrigo, Lisa Morgan, Nancy Navar, Audra Gibson, Michael Sutherland,

Richard Williams, Tim Passmore

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Albert Einstein Quote

 "A person who never made a mistake, never tried anything new."

Position Opening in Idaho Falls

From Colleen Cooke comes this opening:

The following position is available at the Behavioral Health Center, a department of Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls.

Therapeutic Recreation Specialist
• Full- and part-time positions
• Rotating holidays and weekends (1 in 5)

Qualifications
• CTRS required
• Must have a valid driver's license.
• Previous related experience preferred.
• Should possess general knowledge of the basic principles and techniques needed in providing appropriate mental health care.
• Must possess good organizational and leadership skills.
• Must have the sensitivity, maturity and ability to communicate clearly and concisely, both verbally and in writing.
• Must have a working knowledge of a variety of sports, arts and crafts and leisure activities.
Essential Duties

This individual is an active member of both the Recreation Therapy Department as well as the interdisciplinary treatment team. They will:
• assess patient needs,
• plan programs and interventions,
• implement and evaluate these programs and patient outcomes,
• complete regular documentation of groups and patient progress,
• assist in overseeing daily program schedule,
• create and modify programming and treatment for patients.

Client Population
• Acute pediatric unit, ages 12 and under
• Acute adolescent unit, patients age from 12-17
• Two acute adult units, ages 18 and older
• Residential adolescent unit, ages 12-17

In addition to our hospital services:
• Our recreation therapy department facilitates community groups on our on-campus challenge course. Though community groups are more regular during the summer and fall months, the challenge course is a part of hospital programming as well. Staff will be trained in the use of both low and high elements when the course is in operation.
If you’re interested, please apply online at www.eirmc.com.

EIRMC
Idaho Falls, ID - Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center
eirmc.com



Friday, June 22, 2012

CTRS Position Open

From Dr.Colleen Cooke:
Job Posting CORRECTION!!

JOB OPENING: Greenery Specialty Care Center in Cannonsburg, PA
Activities Director, CTRS.
Call Drew Leroy, Administrator, if interested: 724-745-9405

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Recreational Therapy Position Openings

There appear to be a number of openings listed on the Recreational Therapy Job Finder. The address is:
http://www.getrecreationaltherapyjobs.com/critical-need-recreational-therapy-jobs.php

Saturday, June 16, 2012

June PTSD Awareness Month

June Is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Awareness Month

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Position Opening In PA

Colleen Cooke supplied this information:

JOB OPENING: Greenery Specialty Care Center in Cannonsburg, PA

Activities Director, and three full time and one part time activity assistants. Call Drew Leroy, Administrator, if interested: 724-745-9405

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

25 Years Ago

25 years ago (i.e., 1987) David Park was the first individual to receive ATRA's highest award the Distinguished Fellow Award.

Video Games for Health

In case you missed it, there is an article titled “Electronic games can guide you to improved health” in today’s edition of USA Today newspaper. The article covers video games and the Games for Health conference being held in Boston.

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Half of Adults Age 65 and Older are Online

Thanks to Robin Wexler for this information:

New release from Pew's Internet & American Life Project:

As of April 2012, 53% of American adults age 65 and older use the Internet!

The Pew study's Summary of Findings and link to the full report are at:
http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2012/Older-adults-and-internet-use/Summary-of-findings/Findings.aspx




Monday, June 04, 2012

Workout to Go from NIA

“Workout to Go” from the National Institute on Aging Makes It Easy to Exercise Anytime & Anywhere
Go4Life, a health and wellness campaign from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), was created to help older adults incorporate exercise and physical activity into their daily lives. Its mini exercise guide, Workout to Go, is designed to fit easily into a purse or travel bag, so that older Americans can stay active anytime or anywhere. Composed of 13 easy-to-follow strength, balance and flexibility exercises, such as the Wall Push-up, Toe Stand, Balance Walk and Back Stretch, this booklet can be taken to the gym, on vacation or even to the office. So get ready, start exercising and keep going to stay strong and fit. Visit Go4Life for other tips and sample exercises