DH Special Services
Education for the Activity Professional |
|
March 2023
|
|
I  am a firm believer in the old adage “If you don’t use it, you lose it” and nothing is closer to the truth when discussing physical wellbeing and health. Our bodies are made to be active and inactivity can provoke physical decline and cause existing conditions to worsen. Muscle atrophy can contribute to increased incidents of injury. Inactivity can weaken the immune system making the individual prone to infections. Finally, a variety of other diseases are associated with a sedentary lifestyle.
The older person may not be interested in “exercise”, saying they are too old, too tired, too achy or just plain not interested. They may agree to come to the program but then do not participate. How does the activity professional generate interest in exercise and movement programs?
|
New Jersey hosts Spring Workshop |
New Jersey Activity Professional Association is hosting their 35th annual Spring Conference on April 21st, 2023 at the Holiday Inn at East Windsor, NJ.
There are a variety of speakers presenting on topics of interest to the activity professional.
Send in your registration today! |
Continuing Education Update |
Spring workshops and conferences are being scheduled. If you know of a conference or workshop, email the information and it will be posted on the Conference page.
The National Association of Activity Professionals will be hosting their annual conference on April 30th- May 3rd in Reno, Nevada. Check out their site for more information and to register.
There are postings of on line training on my Facebook page. NAAP and Linked Senior offer webinars frequently. Information and links are posted on Facebook.
If you are unable to attend a conference or one is not available in your area, consider the many distance learning programs which are available on my site.
Topics range from documentation to pet therapy to room visits to understanding dementia and more. The courses are based on books or readings. They are self paced with no time limit for completion.
If you already have the book, the course can be sent at a discount. All DH Special Services programs are NCCAP approved.
|
MEPAP + NCCAP = Certification |
If you are interested in becoming nationally certified through the National Certification Council of Activity Professionals - check out the schedule of live classroom MEPAP courses. There are new classes beginning every month with varied schedules to choose from. These classes conduct the full course content with a live instructor teaching the lessons. There is opportunity for interaction with fellow students and the instructor via a virtual classroom such as Zoom. There is no need to travel to a class location and you can complete the course in the comfort of your home or office. All class tuition includes
 initial NCCAP certification of Activity Professional Certified (APC) and the coursebook. You can visit and register via the schedule on the NCCAP website.
DH Special Services continues to offer the MEPAP through independent study. It is self directed and can be be started at any time. The coursework is sent to the student which is completed through readings, worksheets, internet research, tasks completed in the community/facility and other independent ways to learn and practice course content. The course is open enrollment and completed at your own pace. Short, informative videos are included with each lesson to explain assignments. Cost of both MEPAP I and II through DH Special Services, includes coursework, books and NCCAP certification through NCCAP. A new page has been added answering some common questions related to the course.
Email if you need assistance determining your path to NCCAP certification. NCCAP has several paths to certification, including the traditional educational path as well as a professional equivalency path.
|
Pinterest is an amazing free resource for the activity professional. As many of you may know, it is an idea sharing board where you can find literally anything.
You are invited to visit my page where I have ideas for all the seasons, different activity domains and more.
Here are some pages for the current season:
|
 ~Facebook continues to be a great place for Activity Professionals to share success stories, ideas and resources.
~ This month there were many postings for St. Patrick's Day with all sorts of shenanigans. It is wonderful to see people gathering again - with or without masks. My favorite Irish fun was a leprechaun on stilts.
~To catch these stories and more, you are invited to join the celebration of our profession and aging as well as receive the support of our members on my DH Special Services Facebook Group. |
|
 |
|
| | | |
