Therapy Assistant Association of Alberta

Happy Thanksgiving, we hope everyone had a safe and wonderful weekend. As we reflect on the things we are grateful for, we wanted to reach out and extend our gratitude for all the amazing work therapy assistants do. During this week, we would love you to extend this forward and reach out to those who make a difference in your life. As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.- John F. Kennedy

Hope everyone had a wonderful sunny weekend! Let’s continue recognizing therapy assistants. Keep sharing your celebration and appreciation for all rehabilitation professionals who work together to make a difference in the quality of life in those they work with every day. We have attached a few sample cards you can print off and give to another therapy assistant to show recognition for all they do. ... What to do? Print one card off ( or make your own) and you can write other comments than give to another therapy assistant to be entered in prize draws. How? Share a picture of the card you choose and sent to another in therapy assistant. You can also share the picture of the card you may have received. We will look for posts on social media and you will be entered in a prize draw until the middle of October. Stay tuned for more details. Post the card social media under caption #therapyasssistantawareness#therapyassistantapprecietion. Don’t forget to tag us. Why? It is remarkable what taking one moment to thank someone can really make a difference. We encourage you to participate so we can share how you are reaching out with other therapy assistants. Let’s continue to create connection and build one another up. We are STRONGER together.

Update: We do recognize it has been a difficult time globally, and we are a small but mighty group working hard to address our members’ concerns and providing a more accessible community platform for therapy assistants to connect and feel supported. We will be sharing more information this week through social media and emails as we have some amazing upcoming events/ activities / draw prizes for our members to participate in. Stay tuned. Right Now, it is time to check in, con...nect and reflect. Check in: Have you taken the time to thank yourself for all you do? Connect: Have you taken the time to reach out to show appreciation for other TA’s? Reflect: How can you better show up for yourself and others during this time? Let’s hear what you have done for Therapy Assistant Awareness starting last week. Our association is further extending this emphasized awareness until the end of the month with the promotion of more activities to help increase recognition for all the hard work therapy assistants do on a daily basis. Last reminder of the day: we encourage you to be kind to yourself and others as we all continue to adjust and navigate these constant changes. We thank YOU all for the continuous dedicated work you do. Give yourself a big pat on the back TODAY!

As a health care professional, it is often hard to understand someones journey recovering from pain. Check out the link below for a free webinar hosted by Society of Alberta Occupational Therapists presented by Bonnie Klassen, BSc(OT), MSc

Let's share healthy coping strategies and personal assessment tools to help you manage your stress and anxiety in the face of all this uncertainty. What works for you?

It is important to take a step back and see what we do as Therapy Assistants, as Caregivers and as people. We see you and appreciate the work you do

ATRA 2020 Symposium will be held online this year on October 29 and 30, 2020. We hope you are excited for renowned educational speakers, low conference fees and more exciting events planned by the symposium committee. Stay tuned for more details!#ATRA2020

Check out these workshops, ThAAA members receive reduced membership fees. https://www.saot.ca/workshops-events/

Free Online Course Indigenous Canada is a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) that explores Indigenous histories and contemporary issues in Canada. From an Indige...nous perspective, this course explores key issues facing Indigenous peoples today from a historical and critical perspective highlighting national and local Indigenous-settler relations. https://www.ualberta.ca//onl/indigenous-canada/index.html

We hope everyone had a wonderful weekend, our association board members have been working hard at creating more open networking and communication among our members by opening up a new private member only group and we just purchased a Zoom Pro account to hold online meetings up to 100 attendees more easily, more inexpensively and more regularly. Our first meeting will be held this Tuesday, June. 23 at 7:00pm for all members to have the chance to share what they are working thr...ough during these troubling days, discuss what is providing strength and resilience, as well as to share options of employment or involvement across the Province. Stay Tuned: More details will be posted tomorrow. Please take the time to fill out our survey we have created to further gather information to assist in developing future webinars, professional development opportunities and facilitate some meet ups. Quick Survey: Share your VOICE https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WTKCGZC

What can you do personally and with your organization to change racism, intolerance and unconscious bias? Alberta Health Services Conversations with Yiu- Racism and intolerance AHS President and CEO Dr. Verna Yiu... https://youtu.be/ZpvIUpqaOT0 See more

Here are 2 free 1 hour webinars with Dr. Karyn Harvey on COVID Conversations! One is for direct support staff and another is for clients. Please share to those who may be interested. There are separate registration links below for each webinar. Webinar One: Tuesday, June 16 at 2pm MST... For direct support staff: a. Staff will be able to identify the 4 symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. b. Staff will be able to identify at least 3 pre-trauma conditions of Covid 19. c. Staff will be able to identify at least 3 activities that can serve as antidotes for pre-trauma conditions. https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_zDIS-0WzSba6nyvsy-uN0A Webinar two: Thursday, June 18 at 2pm Is for individuals who receive support and services. (Some may require assistance setting up the video link and some may ask that a support worker be with them during the webinar.) a. Individuals will be able to identify difficult aspects of the Covid 19 pandemic. b. Individuals will be able to identify at least 3 activities that can be done to lessen stress. c. Individuals will learn what an appreciation circle is and practice it with assistance https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_QPaSaMlNQbK87miDfojXjQ @ Edmonton, Alberta

As a mother, every day brings a new challenge (or many) and a new blessing. We recognize your hard work and appreciate the support you give us, as we try and support you. Mother's are from all walks of life and all in different stages of motherhood; we see you all. Thank you for ALL that you do!

PTA Day will be celebrated across Canada on Friday, May 8, 2020. Thank you to every physiotherapist assistant for your ongoing dedication during the COVID-19 pandemic. As P.T.A.s, we have been challenged by the present COVID-19 pandemic and, just like many other things in our lives, it has changed the way we have to celebrate PTA Day. This year, as we social distance our celebration, we would like you to share your photos using the #PTAssistantDay on social media, and you are... welcome to share them on our Facebook page as well. The NPAA wants to know, "Why do you love working as a PTA?" Check out our NPAA page for more details! https://physiotherapy.ca/pta-day PTA Day | Canadian Physiotherapy Association PTA Day will be celebrated across Canada on Friday, May 8, 2020. The National Physiotherapist Assistants Assembly (NPAA) is giving one lucky physiotherapist assistant the chance to win a one-year 2020-2021 P.T.A./P.T.A. New Grad membership (approximately $119 CAD). To be eligible to enter the contes... physiotherapy.ca

We would love to see what you have been up to to give back to your commuity Whether you are donating money to a cause, hands on involved Spring cleaning in your neighborhood or volunteering your time, we want see it! Share your pictures, tag us in your story or comment below! #givingtuesday... The ThAAA team is always dedicating volunteer time towards our members to help provide TA's with a commuity and educational oppoutunities. Our favourite time during our yearly conference when we get to see our members in person and the fruits of labour in action! Stay tuned for online educational oppoutunities in lieu of our conference being cancelled. @thaaa_alberta #therapy #therapyassistant #occupationaltherapyassistant #physiotherapyassistant #recreationaltherapy #speechlanguagetherapyassistants 3h

Let's START the conversation: Mental Health Matters... How do you take care of your mental health?? Get connected and share your stories with our new instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/thaaa_alberta/

The role of physiotherapist assistants (P.T.A.) and physical rehabilitation therapists (P.R.T.) during the Covid-19 pandemic in Canada Date: April 28 at 7 PM EDT Speakers: Sandra Lamb & Annie Bélanger... This session will highlight the value of PTAs and PRTs and discuss their roles as they adapt to the current healthcare conditions across Canada. Similarities & differences between the PTA and PRT (licensed in Quebec) scope of practice will be illustrated. As well, the current changes in practice and challenges in Quebec’s nursing / long term care homes will be explained. Link: https://us02web.zoom.us//register/WN_muyG84BBRgCtLA3UxSOqDg https://physiotherapy.ca/cpa-covid-19-webinar-series https://phil-sheppard.com/ Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: The role of physiotherapist assistants (P.T.A.) and physical rehabilitation therapists (P.R.T.) during the Covid-19 pandemic in Canada.. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about... Sandra Lamb highlights the value of PTAs and PRTs and discuss their roles as they adapt to the current healthcare conditions across Canada. The similarities & differences between the PTA and PRT (licensed in Quebec) scope of practice will be illustrated. As well, the current changes in practice and.... us02web.zoom.us

Check In and Reflection Time: How are you showing up each day? How can we support you during this time? Our association is hoping everyone's spirits are staying positive during this time, remember we are all in this together and here to support one another. Please comment what you are doing to take care of yourself during this time, let's continue to share our resources!