2017 News Archive

SHOW YOUR ABILITY FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018

December 21, 2017

Make a note in your diary!

The shows keep growing and growing with record total numbers of attendees in February 2017 – with 2,163 people, a staggering 30% increase on the total figure from 2016.

In 2018 there will be some changes. Professional development sessions are being added for allied health professionals and, in Auckland an extended longer day with the doors open until 7:30pm.

Click here for more information.

Ngā mihi o te Kirihimete me te Tau Hou! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

December 18, 2017

The OTNZ-WNA office will be closed from the 22nd December until the 8th January 2018.

Abstracts for the 2018 Clinical Workshop now open!

December 13, 2017

The Local Organising Committee warmly invite you to submit an abstract for the 16-19 September 2018 Clinical Workshops at the Napier Conference Centre.

The Association’s Te Tiriti relationship model of weaving tangata whenua and tangata tiriti in true partnership needs to be reflected in our workshops and in our conference. We therefore invite more abstracts that have tangata whenua content to address the current imbalance. We ask you to consider how you, as kaiwhakaora ngangahau work appropriately with tangata whenua in enabling them to follow the pathways of their ancestors to become self-reliant. Consider how you weave your responsiveness to Competency 2 and address inequalities.

The following clinical workshops themes have been developed to showcase the overarching theme above.

Hauora hinengaro / Mental health
Tamariki / whanau / Children / Families
Te tiaki a te tangata i a ia anō i te ao Hauora / Self-care in health care
Te Hautū kia Huri me te Ngākau-Titikaha i Te Huarahi / Leading and committing to change

Submission Guidelines available here:
2018-Clinical-Workshops-Abstract-Submission-Guidelines.docxAbstracts close 2 April 2018. We encourage early submissions.
Also check out:

Tips on how to request funding to attend here
Tips on writing an abstract here

December OT Insight out now!

December 4, 2017

In this December OT Insight we look at Occupational therapy and prosthetic rehabilitation in New Zealand, as well as Occupational Therapy Week 2017 #SocialChange #OccupationalJustice. Enjoy!

October OT Insight out now!

October 1, 2017

In this October OT Insight we look at Private Practice: The right choice for you? and The Hobb-OT: An unexpected journey to New Zealand.
Happy reading!

August OT Insight out now!

August 1, 2017

In this August OT Insight we look at Occupational Justice and Social Change.
This edition also has our Annual Report and AGM information.
Happy reading! Go to Publications on the main menu bar to access the magazine.

July OT Insight out now!

July 10, 2017

In this July OT Insight we look at personalised music and dementia and making a return to occupational therapy.
We hope you enjoy reading it!

May OT Insight out now!

May 30, 2017

In this edition of the May OT Insight we look at working as an occupational therapist overseas- pros and cons.
We also talk with Altus Resource Trust who are providing a helping hand in the Pacific Islands. Enjoy!

June OT Insight out now!

May 30, 2017

In this June OT Insight we look at:

Why biculturalism is a part of occupational therapy practice
The Plaster House Tanzania: An occupational therapist in Africa

We hope you enjoy reading it.

Early Bird Membership is here!

May 16, 2017

Early Bird runs from 1 May 2017 and closes on 30 June 2017! Contact the office if you have any issues or questions about your invoice or membership.

[email protected] or [email protected]

OTNZ-WNA 2017 Achievement Award

April 10, 2017

OTNZ-WNA 2017 Achievement Award

Nominations close 30 June 2017

Following a recent review there are a few changes to the OTNZ-WNA Achievement Award. Click here for full Information.

The award recipient receive a cash prize of $1,000. The successful recipient(s) will be interviewed and the article published in the OT Insight and on the OTNZ-WNA website, or other relevant media outlet, with an accompanying photograph of the recipient(s). Recipient(s) will have the opportunity to review the text before publication.

The recipient(s) will receive free registration to the Conference or the Clinical Workshop event at which the award is presented. Funding is available on application to the office for travel and/or accommodation costs, to a maximum of $500.00. Conditions apply.
The guidelines to enter have been made clearer. For details login in to the membership side of the website and click on awards-and-grants/otnz-achievement-award/

The award is managed by OTNZ-WNA on behalf of the contributors. If you would like to become a sponsor we would love to hear from you. You can pledge $100 or any amount exceeding $100 over a 4-year period, or any period you want. For a sponsorship form click here

OTNZ-WNA CONFERENCE 2017

February 1, 2017

Click here for more information!

The role of occupational therapists in providing alternatives to seclusion rooms

January 31, 2017

OTNZ-WNA has recently been proactive over the issue of the use of seclusion rooms in some schools and have outlined, to a targeted range of education stakeholders and politicians, the role and skills of occupational therapists/kaiwhakaora ngangahau in finding alternative solutions for supporting students and seeking opportunities for closer collaboration. We are planning to follow this up with a position paper. Our thanks to all members from the Chypot SIG group who assisted with the development of the communication. We have received a lot of positive feedback and encouragement from members who have been following the events. Copies of the letter are available: Hon-Hekia-Parata-Submission.pdf

News Links

What do you need from an OT?	Explanation of the service.
Home and Community Environment assessment	Assessment of a person’s ability to access and move around their home or community environment and ability to perform everyday tasks in their home. Strategies for independence or safety may be taught. Alterations to the environment or adaptive equipment may be recommended.
Rehabilitation	Enabling a person’s participation in life’s activities and achieving their goals. Rehabilitation of physical or cognitive impairments resulting from brain injury, spinal injury musculoskeletal injury or other medical condition or event.
Technology solutions	Recommendation of equipment and technology that will enable access to and participation in activities. Might include technology for learning, visual impairment or controlling the environment.
Activities of Daily Living – Assessment and Treatment	Assessment of the way everyday tasks are performed. Recommendations about better and safer ways to manage are made. Alterations to the environment or adaptive equipment may be recommended. Recommendations for funders regarding level and type of personal support may be supplied.
Older Person’s Health and wellbeing	Assessment of a person’s ability to manage their everyday activities in their living situation. Recommendations for safe and easy ways to do activities and equipment and home modifications may be provided. May include provision of a treatment plan to support and enable the person to achieve their goals.
Child health, Learning and Development	Assessment and therapy services for children (and their families/whanau) with a variety of diagnoses whose ability to play, learn or perform daily activities is interrupted. Includes assessment and working with clients (usually children) with Autism Spectrum Disorders. May include working with people to develop skills for handwriting and other tasks that required fine motor skills.
Mental health and wellbeing	Assisting participation in chosen activities in people who experience social or emotional distress or mental illness. Supporting wellness, self management, lifestyle changes and recovery. May include support with stress management, life enhancement, family therapy, psychotherapy spirituality and sexuality.
Driver assessment and vehicle modification	Specialised assessment of a person’s fitness to drive and conditions which should be placed on a person’s license. Assessment for modifications required to vehicles to enable driving.
Worker safety, assessment and rehabilitation	Assessment and treatment of the injured worker and advice to insurers regarding the needs of injured workers. Design and support of return to work or work rehabilitation programmes. Can include recommendations for injury prevention. May include ergonomic assessments of workplaces and tasks. May include Functional Capacity Evaluations (FCE’s) to determine a person’s general work tolerances and abilities. May include vocational counselling through determining a person’s background, skills and abilities that can be transferred to alternative employment.
Workplace Health, Safety Design and Training	Evaluation of work environments, their design and practices in order to maximize safety, health and welfare of workers. Can include provision of workplace training for the prevention of injury, including moving and handling training. May include working with designers and architects to optimize healthy human-environment interaction.
Participation at home and community	Enabling a person’s participation in their chosen life activities and/or occupations. Includes people who have an age related disability, physical disability, mental health issue or intellectual disability .
Living well with Long Term Conditions	Enabling participation in everyday activities and roles in the presence of persistent challenges. Supporting self management and effective coping strategies. Includes Pain, fatigue, chronic health issues and disability. May include managing the changing needs caused by a palliative condition such as cancer and treatment so that a person can continue to do the everyday tasks that are important to them.
Managing Vision Impairment	Specialists who assess and treat the functional implications of vision problems. Includes managing symptoms (Glare sensitivity or migraine), teaching strategies for safety and independence with everyday activities, recommendations for modifications to home and work and special equipment, tools or aids.
Hand therapy, Splinting and Scar management	Specialists who assist people who have difficulty using their hands as a result of injury, a disease process or deformity.
Community/Organisational Strengthening and Culture Change.	Working with groups in community or organisational settings or policy development to enable participation for all people. May include review of Aged Residential Care or other residential facility to enable occupation for residents.
Mobility, wheelchairs and seating	Assessment of a person’s needs for specialized wheelchair and cushions, seating, and positioning. May include assessment of needs for mobility scooters.

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