Ang Therapist

On  December 1st.

Take the Lead.

Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise.

Building on from last year’s theme of accountability, the 2007 and 2008 World AIDS Day theme is “leadership”.  This theme will continue to be promoted with the campaigning slogan, “Stop AIDS.  Keep the Promise.” The World AIDS Campaign (WAC) is encouraging everyone to  show leadership – as an individual, in our families, communities or in our place of work.

STOP AIDS Leadership Pledge

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In collaboration with national, regional, global and constituent partners, this initiative asks people from all over the world to pledge their leadership to help stop AIDS. These pledges collected online, by mail and at events, will be used to create exhibitions, banners and other visibility actions during major events in 2008. With a goal of 100,000 signees, these pledges serve as a persuasive tool for leveraging greater political leadership on universal access to AIDS prevention, treatment, care and support and act as a visual example for key national and international decision-makers to follow.

Read more…

Test your knowledge
Take the World AIDS Day Quiz by AVERT, an international HIV and AIDS charity based in UK.

1. Roughly how many children were living with HIV/ AIDS at the end of 2006?
a. 2.3 million
b. 200,000
c. 1.1 million

2. How do most people become infected with HIV?
a. Unsafe sex
b. Injecting drugs
c. Blood transfusions

For the rest of the quiz, click here.

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Lastly, don’t forget to wear the World AIDS Day Red Ribbon.

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By the way, there are lots of recent employment opportunities found in our forum. Make sure to check it out. Who knows you might end up with a really cool job in one of those bay area nursing homes.

This one-day seminar will discuss the Bobath clinical classification of cerebral palsy and treatment of the needs and problems of children with spasticity, athetosis, hypotona and ataxia.

This seminar also includes an introduction to the Bobath Short Guide to Assessment.

About the Speaker: .

Since 2005, Ms. Deanna Kathrina Z. Maranion, a certified Bobath therapist and Head of BAG Philippines, has conducted seminar-workshops and short courses about the Bobath Concept to therapists, physicians, teachers and special education specialists, nurses and caregivers, parents in clinics, hospitals and academic institutions in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. She has also assisted in the Bobath Introductory Course in Jakarta, Indonesia in August 2007. Ms. Maranion completed the Bobath Pediatric Basic Course in South Korea in July 2005.

Ms. Maranion is currently the Executive Director and Chief PT of DREAM for Children with Special Needs Foundation in Cebu City. She is consultant PT at Speechworks Developmental Center (Lipa City, Batangas), Therabilities, Inc (Pasig City, MM) and will soon start serving at The Able Center (Makati City, MM). Ms. Maranion is an alumnus and former faculty member (Department of PT) of the University of the Philippines Manila-College of Allied Medical Professions and has been in pediatric practice for 10 years in Manila, Cebu and Batangas.

[ Click here to continue reading this article. ]

The Canadian Institute for Health Information  released a report titled Workforce Trends of Occupational Therapists in Canada last November 20, 2007.  Quoted below was the response of the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists  to this report as posted on their website.

Reported increase in occupational therapists in Canada is insufficient to meet rising demands 

A report released today by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) indicates that the number of occupational therapists in Canada has risen by 27% over five years from 2000 to 2005. This data confirms that occupational therapy is one of the fastest growing professions in the health care system. Yet, according to the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists (CAOT), despite constant growth in the number of trained occupational therapists, Canadians continue to experience problems with accessing occupational therapy services.

“We are encouraged by the data that shows a rise in the supply of occupational therapists in Canada, but we continue to be concerned about the ability of the Canadian public to receive occupational therapy services,” said Dr. Susan Forwell, CAOT president. “The number of occupational therapists may have increased, but shortages are reported in many provinces, particularly in rural areas.”

The CIHI report indicates that 90% of the 11,400 occupational therapists in Canada work in an urban centre. Almost one-third are also employed in part-time positions, further reducing the availability of services to meet the rising need for occupational therapy.

The need for occupational therapy services is increasing due to the aging population, greater awareness of the needs of individuals with disabilities, deinstitutionalization of persons with mental illness and recognition of the value of rehabilitation. As a result, a recent CAOT review of labour market information and workforce studies indicates a strong demand for occupational therapists across Canada.