A Little Bit of This & That

Awards:

• ATRA AWARDS Nominations – An Awards Program reminds us of the valuable service provided by a Recreation Therapists commitment to service and the health benefits they bring to so many peoples lives. With the advancement of Therapeutic Recreation in the province of Alberta, we can easily congratulate all Recreation Therapists for their daily commitment and hard work that has brought our great profession to where it is today. However, there are those among us that deserve extra attention for their outstanding service, passion and innovation over the years. Please consider nominating a deserving Recreation Therapist or Student for any of the ATRA Awards.

Association Happenings:

• CTRA Conference; June 19 – 21st, 2019
• SAVE THE DATE: Alberta Therapeutic Recreation Association Annual Symposium and ARPA Conference and Energize Workshop; October 24-26 at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise.
• Caregivers Alberta’s Spring Self-Care Fair will be on Saturday, May 11th from 11am-3pm at the Edmonton Office! SAVE THE DATE!
• ATRA is teaming up with an amazing videographer and is excited to work on a promotional video for Therapeutic Recreation to be shared on a number of different media platforms. Please share your stories and therapeutic recreation successes. What does TR mean to you? Email, or share your ideas on social media. #weareTR & #RecIsWhatWeDo

Evidence/Resources:

• Alberta Long-Term Care (LTC) Resident Profile (2016/2017) – This Long-Term Care (LTC) Resident Profile describes the population that resides in LTC in Alberta during a specified period of time. This includes the social, demographic, physical, health and behavioral characteristics of LTC residents. This information helps identify trends and guides strategic policy for continuing care in Alberta.
• Previous Alberta LTC Resident Profiles.
• Mealtime Assistance Training Manual (AHS Volunteer Resources) – Mealtime assistance can mean many things, from conversing with patients to brighten their day, opening packages, cutting food, completing menus, or making foods more accessible for patients. While this resource is for AHS Volunteers, it is an excellent resource to adapt or compliment your volunteer orientation and resources.
• Best Practices for Nutrition, Food Service and Dining in Long Term Care Homes – A Working Paper of the Ontario LTC Action Group 2019.
• Manual for Feeding and Swallowing Management in Long-Term Care Facilities.
• Guidelines to Effective Hydration in Aged Care Facilities.
• Research Methods – The Basics is an accessible, user-friendly introduction to the different aspects of research theory, methods and practice.
• CALTC Recreational Therapy Guide – a tool designed to provide best practices for recreational programs in residential care and calls for further study to help ensure the best care is being provided for Canada’s seniors.
• Chair Yoga Protocols for Recreation Therapy.
• LinkedSenior – At Linked Senior they believe in a world where people of all ages are respected and valued. This is why they build simple, evidence-based and clinically validated software to support person-centered life enrichment for older adults and their care partners. Their technology focuses on engagement, connection, and celebration of individuality.
• EverSound – Eversound is an engagement amplifier that removes communication barriers, empowering senior living communities to deliver extraordinary individualized care. Eversound enables every resident at your senior community to participate and engage with more comfort and autonomy.
• Students!! Get Office 365 for free!

Program/Activity Resources:

• Food in Every Country – This website offers all sorts of information and recipes of food from all over the world.
• National Indigenous Peoples Day Resources by the Government of Canada: Planning & Promotional Resources.
• Bringing the Arts to Life – A Guide to the Arts and Long -Term Care.
• Gardening for Life – A Guide to Garden Adaptations for Gardeners of All Ages and Abilities.
• Garden Materials and Resource Guide – This informational guide outlines specific building materials, estimated costs, and budgets needed to get a garden started. This is a comprehensive list of supplies for gardens and should be tailored to fit the size and need of your garden program.
• Getting Started – A Guide for Creating Gardens as Outdoor Classrooms.
• Recreation and Wellness Directory for Older Adults (2018/2019) – by the Edmonton Seniors Coordinating Council.
• Family Feud Game Resources – Visit My Drive link to download some awesome resources to assist you in creating your own version of the long-time favourite game! Here are two links to assist in building: Survey Says Game | Survey Says II.
• How to Make Paper Airplanes: Maker Camp | Best Ever Planes that Fly | Paper Airplane Designs | Paper Planes PDF.
• Mindful Meditation Guide and Journal.
• Reminiscing with Nursies? A significant accomplishment among CPHA’s centenary activities, in 2010, is the completion of a history of public health in Canada. This is Public Health: A Canadian History is an interactive e-book. It’s engaging, richly illustrated, suitable for a broad audience and available as a free download. Canadian public health history is now accessible and easy to share!

Education/Professional Development:

• Free Webinar: The Laughter Wellness Blueprint – Discover Laughter Wellness, a whole new way of unleashing positivity and creating peace of mind while promoting multiple aspects of well-being.
• Wicking Dementia Research & Education Centre – I’m continuing to share their free MOOCs and you should too. This would help us transform views and attitudes towards dementia as widely as possible.