Discussion: Are you told not to assess?

Are you told not to assess? 

There is sometimes pressure from funding agencies to take short cuts. 

We need to discuss, as a profession, how this can and cannot look.

As a licensed health professional, the OT must check 

"... that terms of agreement in a contract with payer are not in contravention of professional obligations to client" (Association of Canadian Occupational Therapy Regulatory Organizations (ACOTRO))

Specifically, we can train a parent to teach their own child but we must assess the child and help the parent choose appropriate goals. For instance, we cannot spend time teaching a parent all about sensory strategies if that child is not affected in daily life by sensory strategies and it would not be appropriate to encourage a parent to teach a 4 year old how to tie shoes. 

Thus, when the funding agency is saying it is unnecessary to assess, we have to be careful to qualify that it may be unnecessary to produce an assessment report, but it is necessary to at least do informal assessment. 

Thoughts? Please post in comments

Charlene Wright

Occupational Therapist

Fidget Belt

I just wanted to share with you a product I have designed called the Fidget Belt. The Fidget Belt allows for oodles of fidgety fun! It works well for children who need to keep their hands busy to learn but also tend to throw fidget toys. By attaching multiple fidgets, your child can engage in numerous sensory experiences all at once. This has been beneficial helpful for some of the very fidgety kids that I work with! This product can be purchased through InnovAID

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Fine Motor Spring Camp May 2015 in Edmonton

There are still spots available.  Original post can be found here.

Volunteers Needed for Fine Motor Camp in May 2015 - Edmonton

Volunteers Needed for Fine Motor Camp in May 2015 We are looking for volunteers to assist with our fine motor camp in May for 4 sessions. This camp is run by occupational therapists for children that have mild to mod fine motor delays and/or need extra practice with their printing skills. If you are looking for experience in pediatrics occupational therapy then please contact Rebecca at growingchanges@gmail.com When: Saturdays: May 2, 9, 23, 30 from 10-1115 am. No class May long weekend. Where: Highlands Community Hall in Edmonton, AB

OT support for 5 year old with autism in Calgary

We are looking for OT support for sensory processing needs for our 5 year old son with autism. He does not qualify for FSCD (we are not permanent resident yet). He is currently  in CBE PUF program, Early Development Centre with OT support.

We are looking to a OT that may have some free spots to take some hours privately and work with him. We are quite flexible in terms of availability.  

Contact Florencia at flor_mam@hotmail.com or 587 718 0110

Edmonton Interest Group Meeting

SAVE THE DATE I'm hoping to get people together for another Edmonton interest group meeting again. Please save Wednesday, April 29th from 7:00-8:30. Meeting will be at Corbett Hall on the U Of A campus. More details to follow. Hope many of you can make it

Dubasov Dance & Wellness, Calgary

Dubasov Dance & Wellness is excited to announce its…

Spring Session Registration is NOW OPEN!

Special Needs & Inclusive 

Dance, Movement & Yoga Programs

Spring Session: April 11 - June 20 + Studio Showcase - June 21

Many NEW programs!

Babies to Adults 

SPOTS ARE LIMITED - REGISTER TODAY!

T: 403.452.7600 E: dubasovdw@gmail.com

www.dubdw.com

Looking for a large size hug vest Edmonton Area

Hi, 
I am looking for a large sized bear hug vest. It is for a 17 year old girl, so it needs to fit an adult type size. I am hoping that someone has one that I could borrow/rent to lend to the family for a week or two. 
Please let me know if you have access to something like this and can help this girl out. 
You can email me at kimberley.giesbrecht@albertahealthserivces.ca or call/text me at 780-850-9535. 
Thank you!!

Kim

Feeding for 18yr old

Hello fellow OTs, I received a call from Andrea Mossen, a rural dietician with PCN inquiring about how best to help this new 18 year-old who has gained 30 lbs in 8 months due to decreased activity and more importantly, due to a very restricted diet which has finally caught up to her; I think Kay Toomey would say she is a problem feeder. She was initially referred to a dietician when she was 12, but refused to go. Now, she is motivated… So, there seems to be a few issues and I thought someone might be able to provide some resources for the dietician, since I have only been working here for 5 months. Here are the issues: · family issues where she will not eat with her family and has admitted she wants to increase her repertoire of foods to taste every day BUT NOT with her father or brother present; cooks her own meals after family eats · family issues: refuses to attend large family functions where eating is involved · social issues: was playing soccer intensely but not comfortable as an adult playing mixed league; has replaced soccer with weight training 4-5 times a week · sensory issues: cannot tolerate being on the same floor of the house when her mother is cooking certain foods · extremely limited foods (no vegetables, only apples, milk, ichiban noodle soup, M&M prepared foods, specific granola bars, bologna sandwich on white bread, white toasted bagel with certain cream cheese brand, three specific cereals, some smoothies, pancakes This young adult has said she wants to introduce one new food to taste per day WITH ONLY HER MOTHER present. I was concerned that perhaps she might be jumping the gun if she can’t even be physically around when her mother is preparing and cooking food. I suggested to Andrea to let this young girl know about the graduated steps to get to tasting as it sounds like she might be at the “be in the same room” level rather than the “put in my mouth” phase to maximize success and that there are steps before eating that would still be considered a step forward. We also talked about small changes in the diet with the girl’s permission (e.g., Sneaky Chef for pancakes and adding more to smoothies, etc.) I don’t actually deal with this in my current caseload and it appears that there are more than dietary issues. I am wondering if anyone has any great reading/online resources that Andrea might give to the young woman as well as who she might refer this family to, to support this 18 year old who is asking for help and is willing to make the changes necessary. I am thinking some social work/family therapy? Oh, the young woman is from Bonnyville. Andrea would appreciate if you had any suggestions, to email her andrea@bonnyvillepcn.ca or you can email Voon.YouTen@albertahealthservices.ca. Voon You Ten, BScOT Registered Occupational Therapist

A survey of the perspectives of occupational therapists (OTs) and Student OTs in Canada on the legalization of physician assisted suicide and euthanasia

An invitation to participate in "A survey of the perspectives of occupational therapists (OTs) and Student OTs in Canada on the legalization of physician assisted suicide and euthanasia" Dear potential participant, This is an invitation to participate in a survey entitled Understanding the Perspectives of Occupational Therapists (OTs) and Student OTs Practicing in Canada on the Legalization of Physician Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia (Short title: OT-PASE-Canada). Who we are: We are a team of four researchers. Three of us are at the University of Toronto – two Student OTs and an OT associate professor who works as a healthcare ethicist. Our fourth team member is an OT Intern with the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists (CAOT). Why we are doing this: The purpose of OT-PASE-Canada is to understand some of the perspectives of individuals in the field of occupational therapy in Canada on the legalization of physician assisted suicide (PAS) and voluntary euthanasia. Assisted suicide has been decriminalized by the Supreme Court of Canada. This means that assisting suicide/voluntary euthanasia will soon become part of end-of-life care in Canada. The bulk of published opinion and literature considers the thoughts of physicians on the topic; there is very little examining the thoughts of occupational therapists. We are hoping to make a contribution to the debates on the topic both within the profession and generally in the eyes of the public. The results of this study are expected to be useful to CAOT in its development of resources related to PAS. Anyone wishing to be involved in CAOT's consultations can contact Julie Lapointe (jlapointe@caot.ca). Julie's email will also be provided at the beginning and end of the survey online. What we’re asking: OT-PASE-Canada asks for your anonymous opinions and perspectives on some client stories based on real lives recently profiled in the media. You will be asked to answer questions according to your own thoughts on the topic and according to how you think OT practice ought to respond to the possibility of healthcare teams being asked by capable clients to assist them to end their lives. How we’re asking: We are using a Canadian hosted survey tool – Fluid Surveys. We ask for no identifying information from you – only some general demographics. We ask that you take care not to include any identifying details in the open comments sections. If any potentially identifying details are included, we will omit them from any reports/ publications/ presentations about OT-PASE-Canada. If you wish to withdraw from the survey once you have started it, please simply click 'discard' at any time - this will remove any responses you have entered. Once you click 'submit', your responses cannot be removed as they cannot be individually identified. If you have any questions, comments or concerns that you wish to bring to the Principal Investigator, you can email Kevin Reel at kevin.reel@utoronto.ca at any time. Many thanks for considering participating in this survey. Alana Bernick, MSc (OT) candidate, University of Toronto Ariella Winter, MSc (OT) candidate, University of Toronto Chelsea Gordon, OT Reg. (Ont.), Intern, CAOT Kevin Reel, OT Reg. (Ont.), Assistant Professor, Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy and Member, Joint Centre for Bioethics, University of Toronto The OT-PASE-Canada survey will be open until the 30th of April 2015. To access the survey, beginning with its consent confirmation page, go to this URL: http://fluidsurveys.com/s/OT-PASE-Canada/