IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 11-12-04 CONTACT: PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE

SILVER CITY—Some 120 participants recently attended the 2004 New Mexico Occupational Therapy Association Conference on the campus of Western New Mexico University.

The participants included occupational therapists, occupational therapy assistants, students and faculty from as far away as Missouri, Arizona, Texas, and Colorado.

Panel discussions focused on such topics as Curanderismo, Pet Assistive Therapy, Healthy Backs, Fall Prevention in Long-Term Care, Functional Use of the “Walkable,” and Occupational Goals for Mothers of Children with Disabilities.

Claudia Leonard presented the workshop on “Appreciative Inquiry: Occupational Self-Exploration.” The workshop was an interactive session with participants using the appreciative inquiry process to explore personal occupational preferences and requirements to meet those preferences.

J. Mark Donovan presented the workshop on “Occupational Goals of Mothers of Children with Disabilites: Influence of Temporal, Social and Emotional Contexts.” The purpose of the study was to describe the occupational concerns and goals for mothers who care for children with disabilities. Retrospective data collected from 38 mothers of children with disabilities using the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) was analyzed qualitatively.

Amy Oselio presented the workshop on “Caminando Juntos-We Walk Together.” This presentation focused on how culture impacted delivery of occupational therapy services to children with special needs. This project’s purpose was to provide support to a group of parents in Palomas, Mexico who were trying to establish a local school for their children with special needs.

Melissa Winkle presented a workshop on “Introduction to Dogs in Practice: Therapeutic Agents and Assistive Technology.” This workshop introduced dogs as therapeutic agents and as assistive technology. Dogs as assistive technology topics included the distinction of different types of assistance that dogs can offer and the identification of potential assistance dog recipients. Interactive demonstrations, activities, and brainstorming focused on both the use of a dog as therapeutic intervention and as assistive technology.

Sam Limon presented the workshop titled “Fall Prevention in Long-Term Care.” This presentation focused on strategies and procedures implemented at Ft. Bayard Medical Center, State Hospital. A team approach to preventing injury to residents of this long-term care facility has proved to be effective, especially in the area of fall prevention. Members of the team shared their experiences and expertise.

Felipe Rivera presented the workshop on “The Functional Use of the ‘Walkable.’” This workshop focused on the occupationally relevant uses besides ambulation of the “Walkable” with children at the Los Lunas Center for Developmentally Disabled.

Chris Mehling and Patti Fallstitch presented a workshop on the “Introduction to the Spine, Body Mechanics and Transfer Training.” Knowledge and practice are the keys to maintaining a healthy back. This presentation focused on prevention of back injuries by implementing effective body mechanics during patient transfers and other activities performed in the course of an occupational therapist’s workday.

The keynote speaker, Dr. Carolyn Baum, President of the American Occupational Therapy Association, gave a presentation on “Research with Stroke.” Dr. Baum is a professor of occupational therapy at Washington University in St. Louis, Mo.

The conference was hosted by WNMU and the Occupational Therapy Assistant Program. The next state OTA Conference will be held in Farmington on Nov. 1-2, 2005.

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