Annual Report 2015.indd

Living well ... being healthy

Annual Report

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Alberta Therapeutic Recreation Association

ATRA Annual General Meeting; Friday, 23 October 201510:15 - 11:30 am; Ramada Plaza, 3515 - 26 Street NE, Calgary, AB

1.0 Cal l to Order

2.0 Act ion on the Agenda

3.0 Introduct ion of Board Members and Special Guests Thanks and appreciat ion to the 2015 ATRA Symposium Commit tee & Volunteers

4.0 Rules of Order

5.0 Act ion on the Minutes of the 2014 Annual General Meet ing I f there are no correct ions, i t would be in order for a member to move that the minutes of the 2014 Annual General Meet ing be adopted as included in the annual report .

6.0 Old Business 6.1 20/20 Vis ion Strategic Plan

7.0 Board Report After quest ions have been addressed, I t would be in order for a member to move that the report , as presented in the AGM package, be adopted.

8.0 Act ion on the 2014/2015 Financial Statement After quest ions have been addressed, I t would be in order for a member to move that the f inancial reports, as presented in the AGM package, be adopted.

9.0 New Business (Complete mot ions are pr inted elsewhere in th is Annual Report) 9.1 Mot ion to increase the ATRA Board from f ive (5) posi t ions to s ix (6). 9.2 Mot ion to change ATRA Board Posi t ion t i t le f rom Educat ion Liaison to Educat ion Director. 9.3 Mot ion to change ATRA Board Posi t ion t i t le f rom Community Liaison to Communicat ion Director. 9.4 Mot ion to change board elect ion rotat ion to have an even annual rotat ion of board members. (This mot ion wi l l only be required i f Mot ion 9.1 passes.) 9.5 Mot ion to change the Student Membership cr i ter ia. 10.0 Elect ion of Directors (Biographies are pr inted elsewhere in th is Annual Report) Vice President, Secretary/Treasurer, Communicat ion Director

11.0 Announcements

12.0 Adjournment

agenda

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Qualifi cations1. All members will be required to show their current ATRA membership cards for admission to the AGM.2. Each attending member in good standing is entitled to one vote.3. There shall be no absentee or proxy voting.4. A quorum shall be not less than 25 percent of the membership or 40 members, whichever is smaller.

General Procedures1. The chair organizes the business of the meeting (agenda and order of business) and sees that it proceeds in an ordered manner.2. The chair decides all questions of order and considers the advice of the parliamentarian.3. No person may speak until she/he has been recognized by the chair.4. No person may speak for more than 10 minutes at one time. No person may speak a second time until all who wish to speak for the fi rst time have done so. (The group may permit a person to speak more than twice or longer than 10 minutes.) A question on procedure or a point of order will not be considered a turn to speak.5. A person wishing to speak must approach a microphone and be recognized by the chair before speaking. When recognized, the speaker will give her/his name.6. The chairperson may not speak on a question. If she/he wishes to speak, she/he must yield the chair to another offi cer and take a seat on the fl oor. The chairperson may not resume the chair until the question at issue is settled.

Motions - Getting a Subject on the Floor1. No business may be discussed until a motion has been made, seconded (when required) and stated by the chair.2. Once a motion has been stated by the chair, it can be withdrawn only with the consent of both the mover and the seconder.3. All discussion must relate to the motion on the fl oor.4. Only one main motion may be on the fl oor at any one time.

Amendments1. An amendment to a motion is proper if it does not change the basic purpose of the motion.2. For ease of understanding, it is wise to have only one amendment on the fl oor at any one time. However, there is no limit to the number a times a motion may be amended.3. When an amendment is made, the chairperson must see that everyone understands the proposition being voted on. Two votes must be taken: FIRST, on the amendment, and SECOND, on the motion in its amended form.

Stopping Debates1. Discussion can be stopped by a motion to close debate. This motion is not debatable and requires a two-thirds majority to be carried.

Voting1. The motion is restated2. The affi rmative and then the negative votes are called for. If there is any doubt in a voice vote or vote by show of hands, the vote is then to be retaken by a standing vote. If a secret ballot is required, the chair declares the result of the vote.

rules of order


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prior minutesAlberta Therapeutic Recreation Association Annual General MeetingOctober 24, 2014iHotel, Red Deer, AB

1.0 Call to order The Annual General Meet ing was cal led to order by the ATRA President, Kar i Medd, at 8:05am.

2.0 Action to the agenda The agenda was accepted as c i rculated.

3.0 Introduction of Board Members and Special Guests The Board Members were introduced and thanks were extended to the 2014 ATRA Symposium

Commit tee and volunteers for their effor ts in organiz ing the 2014 ATRA Symposium. Special thanks were also extended to guest speakers Dr. Lynn Anderson and Dr. L inda Heyne for pre-sent ing at th is year ’s Symposium. Jane Crawford was also recognized and thanked for her work as CTRA’s Western Director.

4.0 Rules of Order Darlene Murphy, Administrat ive Assistant, reviewed the rules of order as l is ted in the Annual

Report .

5.0 Action on the Minutes of the 2013 Annual General Meeting Motion by Blanche Chymycz and seconded by Glenn Skimming that the minutes of the 2013 An-

nual General Meet ing be adopted as included in the annual report . CARRIED.

6.0 Old Business: 6.1 2020 Vision Strategic Plan The 2020 Vis ion Strategic Plan was presented by Kar i Medd, President, and Dianne Bowtel l ,

Execut ive Director. A document out l in ing th is plan was sent to al l members (see at tached), and wi l l be posted on the ATRA websi te. A cal l to members was made to jo in a Professional Advancement Working Group, as out l ined in the 2020 Vis ion Strategic Plan.

6.2 Health Professions Act Update An update was given by El len Helgason, Vice President, and members were given the opportuni ty to direct any quest ions to the board. A quest ion was raised regarding members

wi th a diploma educat ion, and how they wi l l f i t in wi th the new educat ion requirements. The Board responded by out l in ing that the new educat ion requirements wi l l only apply to new

appl icants, and no changes or t ransi t ions wi l l be made for exist ing members

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prior minutes7.0 Board Reports Al l board reports were summarized into one report and included in the Annual Report . Members

were given the opportuni ty to direct any quest ions to the board. Motion by Jane Crawford and seconded by Er ic Roque that the board report , as presented in the

Annual Report , be adopted. CARRIED. 8.0 Action on the 2013/ 2014 Financial Statement The 2013/2014 Financial Statements were presented by Dar lene Murphy, Administrat ive Assis-

tant. The f inancial statements were pr inted in the Annual Report . Dar lene Murphy responded to quest ions f rom the f loor regarding f inancial statements.

Motion by Bev Sunt jens and seconded by Jaclyn England that the 2013/2014 ATRA Financial Statements be accepted as presented. CARRIED.

9.0 New Business: 9.1 Election of Directors to the ATRA Board of Directors

Motion by Kar i Medd and seconded by Dan Cooper that the ATRA Bylaws be changed to state that nominat ions for the Board of Directors wi l l cease 24 hours pr ior to the AGM. Names of a l l nominees, as the Nominat ing Commit tee has col lected them, shal l be presented at the Annual Meet ing by the Vice President and each off ice wi l l be voted on in turn. CARRIED.

9.2 Membership Support for HPA Status Motion by Kar i Medd and seconded by Patt i Heath that ATRA wi l l cont inue with the process of

advancing i ts capaci ty to funct ion as a regulatory body with the intent of becoming a regulated heal th profession under the Health Professions Act. CARRIED.

10.0 Elections: 10.1 President: Patt i Lanigan was nominated and agreed to let her name stand. No nominat ions

f rom the f loor received. Mot ion to elect Patt i by acclamat ion. CARRIED.

10.2 Education Liaison : Sarah James agreed to let her name stand for another term. No nomi-nat ions f rom the f loor received. Mot ion to elect Sarah by acclamat ion. CARRIED.

11.0 Announcements: Announcements were made regarding the 2015 CTRA Conference in St. Johns, NL, May 13-15.

Cal l for presentat ions for the CTRA Conference closes November 1, 2014. Special thanks were given to Kar i Medd for serving as President over the past 4 years.

12.0 Adjournment The 2014 Annual General Meet ing was adjourned at 9:08am.

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board reportBOARD REPORT - Patti Lanigan, President

Welcome to the 2015 ATRA Annual General Meet ing! This s igni f ies the end of my f i rst year as President. I t has been a wonderful opportuni ty to learn about the business of ATRA, the role of the President and each of the Board port fo l ios. I am truly amazed at the depth and breadth of work that ATRA does at a l l levels of the organizat ion that ul t imately benef i ts our membership.

I t certainly has been a busy year! With the unvei l ing of our 2020 Vis ion Strategic Plan last fa l l at the AGM, the Board has been focused on carry ing out the object ives of our 4 Key Strategic Direc-t ions: Professional Conduct, Entry to Pract ice, Cont inued Competence Program, Professional Com-petency Prof i le and establ ishing addi t ional Professional Advancement Commit tees (PACs) wi th the on-going support of our Execut ive Director.

I ’d l ike to take the l iberty of h ighl ight ing the achievements and projects that the ATRA Board and staff have undertaken this past year in each of these areas:

PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT• The Complaints, Invest igat ion and Resolut ion PAC and Nat ional Standards of Pract ice PAC were

establ ished under the Presidents’ port fo l io.• The Vice President launched the ‘Risk to the Publ ic ’ membership survey in May with a c losing

date of November 1st . Informat ion f rom this onl ine survey and conversat ions held at chapter meet ings wi l l be used to guide the ‘Protect & Serve the Publ ic ’ PAC.

• Regular and ongoing communicat ions by the Vice President wi th members of Alberta Heal th and Wel lness through the Legis lat ion and Regulat ion Workforce Strategy div is ion. Guidance and in-format ion cont inues to be provided to ATRA as we move the profession forward through our 2020 Vis ion Strategic Plan. The Execut ive Director cont inues to support the Vice President ’s l ia ison role wi th Alberta Heal th regarding regulat ion matters.

• The President represented ATRA at the CTRA President ’s web meet ings and at the CTRA Nat ion-al Conference in St. John’s, Nf ld.

• At the Canadian Therapeut ic Recreat ion Associat ion’s annual conference in St. John’s New-foundland in May, the President, Vice President, Educat ion Director and Past President co-pre-sented on behal f of ATRA. Our presentat ion was ent i t led, “Advancing the TR Profession in Canada as a Sel f -governing Health Profession: Alberta’s Strategic Plan to Protect and Serve the Publ ic” . The audience was comprised of leaders f rom other provinces, our nat ional leaders in therapeut ic recreat ion and members at large. I t was a great opportuni ty to discuss regula-tory issues at the nat ional level and an amazing exper ience to hear a uni ted voice and desire for col laborat ion to move the therapeut ic recreat ion profession forward not only wi th in our own provinces but also at a nat ional level . Our Execut ive Director was instrumental in developing the

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board reportf ramework and research to support th is presentat ion.

• Our col leagues in Br i t ish Columbia are in the process of prepar ing their strategic plans. Con-sul tat ion on the process of strategic planning was col lect ively sought f rom the BCTRA President f rom the ATRA President, Execut ive Director and ATRA Past President. This col laborat ion sup-ports ATRA’s strategy to bui ld towards regulat ion across the country to enhance consistency, eff icacy and effect iveness.

• In response to an invi tat ion f rom CTRA to part ic ipate on CTRA’s regulat ion commit tee, ATRA has now appointed a representat ive f rom our membership at large.

• The Communicat ion Director is developing new market ing mater ia ls such as ATRA branded note-pads and mini informat ion port fo l ios and has launched our f i rst ATRA branded i tems avai lable through on- l ine purchase! The select ion of i tems includes t-shir ts, sweatpants, gol f -shir ts, jack-ets and hat for your use to ident i fy Therapeut ic Recreat ion as a unique and ident i f iable profes-sion.

• Our Facebook page is gaining in popular i ty, and members can fol low the ATRA twi t ter feed to keep up to date on important dates and events.

ENTRY TO PRACTICE• Under the Educat ion Director port fo l io, the Entry to Pract ice PAC was establ ished and the team

wi l l meet object ives around developing the post-secondary inst i tut ion sect ion of the ATRA web-si te.

• Our Educat ion Director and Execut ive Director have been represent ing ATRA on Advisory Boards / Commit tees throughout the year for each of the four educat ional inst i tut ions that provide TR Educat ional Programs in Alberta.

• The Execut ive Director in col laborat ion wi th the Board wrote let ters of support and congratula-t ion for Universi ty of Lethbr idge diploma to degree program launched September 2015 and also col laborat ively wrote a let ter of support to the Universi ty of Alberta for their proposed under-graduate degree with a Major in Therapeut ic Recreat ion.

• ATRA is very exci ted to see the Universi ty of Lethbr idge rol l out their f i rst semester of their Post-Diploma Bachelor of Therapeut ic Recreat ion th is fa l l . We look forward to celebrat ing their f i rst graduat ing c lass in 2017!

• This year also marks the f inal year that a degree or diploma in the province of Alberta is ac-cepted without the degree t i t le requirement. In col laborat ion wi th the Universi ty of Alberta, we closed out the f inal cohort of students that met the course and pract icum requirements but had a degree t i t le other than Recreat ion and Leisure studies. We are proud and exci ted that f rom November 2015 onwards, al l graduates in the province of Alberta wi l l have a diploma or degree with Therapeut ic Recreat ion or Recreat ion and Leisure studies in the t i t le! Sarah, our Educat ion Director would l ike to thank Dr. Janice Causgrove Dunn, the Associate Dean of Undergraduate studies in the Facul ty of Physical Educat ion and Recreat ion, Tyson Lazaruck the lead student

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board reportadvisor and his team, Kar i Medd Past President of ATRA, Dianne Bowtel l , our current Execu-t ive Director, Tommias French and Er in Turnel l , past Educat ion Liaison Directors, and count less others whom have worked very hard over the decades to ensure students have had the abi l i ty to pursue a career in Therapeut ic Recreat ion and advancing the profession in our province through special ized educat ion.

• Our Educat ion Director cont inues to advocate for provis ion of ATRA Publ icat ions as educat ional resources for TR coursework.

CONTINUED COMPETENCY PROGRAM • Under the Educat ion Director port fo l io, the Cont inuing Competency Program PAC was estab-

l ished and an area of focus wi l l be evaluat ing ATRA’s current CEU system.• ATRA’s 2020 Vis ion Plan was updated for the President ia l address to membership v ia webinar in

January by the Execut ive Director.• The Communicat ion Director has worked hard th is past year and has been dedicated to success-

ful ly publ ishing two edi t ions of the ATRAbute. There are plans to re-work the ATRAbute next year.

• ATRA hosted a Nat ional Webinar in partnership wi th CTRA and a Credent ia l ing Special ist f rom NCTRC on the topic of Professional Path A & B to CTRS designat ion.

PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCY PROFILE• The Communit ies of Pract ice Professional Advancement Commit tee is on track to be launched

in the new year once our soon-to-be newly elected Secretary / Treasurer becomes fami l iar wi th the posi t ion. This wi l l be a new addi t ion to th is port fo l io and the Execut ive Director wi l l provide mentorship to get th is PAC underway.

• In January, the Vice President and the commit tee updated the publ icat ion, “Guidel ines for the Assignment of Therapeut ic Recreat ion Services to Assistants and Aides.” ATRA had the opportu-ni ty to present th is Guidel ine at the Therapy Assistant Associat ion Symposium in May. A special thanks to Claudette McMil len, ATRA member for present ing on behal f of ATRA at the conference.

• The Execut ive Director researched and wrote two Appendixes: (a) Therapeut ic Recreat ion Reg-ulat ion in Canada, 2015 and (b) Leadership of ATRA’s 2020 Vis ion – A Team Approach for the ATRA Presentat ion, “Advancing the TR Profession in Canada as a Sel f -governing Health Profes-sion: Alberta’s Strategic Plan to Protect and Serve the Publ ic” at the CTRA Conference. In ad-di t ion to th is, a lso wrote a 3 page abstract f rom ATRA’s presentat ion to be included in the CTRA Conference Compendium, t i t led “Advancing the Therapeut ic Recreat ion Profession in Canada as a Sel f -Governing Health Profession, Together We Can Improve How We Protect and Serve the Publ ic Interest” .

• Our Educat ion Director represented ATRA as part of the research team with the Inst i tute for Cont inuing Care Educat ion and Research ( ICCER) and the Universi ty of Alberta on “ the impacts

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2015 Annual Report

board reportof Recreat ion services on qual i ty of l i fe for those in cont inuing care”. In addi t ion ATRA provided connect ions to ATRA Professional members in cont inuing care across Alberta, ensur ing that the study was representat ive of cont inuing care faci l i t ies offer ing therapeut ic recreat ion services in the province of Alberta. The study concluded over the summer and the f inal report draf ted. The ICCER and Universi ty of Alberta team is now disseminat ing the resul ts of the study to cont inuing care stakeholders in Alberta. They wi l l be present ing at a province wide teleheal th conference in November, hosted by the North Chapter of ATRA but avai lable to al l ATRA members. I t is our hope that more col laborat ive research opportuni t ies come from this exper ience.

• On behal f of ATRA, the Execut ive Director wrote a let ter addressed to the Covenant Heal th Net-work of Excel lence in Seniors’ Heal th and Wel lness in support of Dr. Susan Slaughters research grant appl icat ion for the “Older Persons Exercise and Nutr i t ion” Project .

• The Educat ion Director connects wi th current and prospect ive therapeut ic recreat ion students on a regular basis. Count less student inquir ies were answered resul t ing in seeing these students on class rosters a few months later. Presentat ions have been done at the Universi ty of Alberta to f i rst year and fourth year c lasses as wel l as career days and open houses at NorQuest Col lege and the Universi ty of Alberta. Most recent ly the Execut ive Director, Educat ion Director and ATRA member Shel ley Pronyshyn at tended the 2015 Interprofessional Pathway Launch at the Univer-s i ty of Alberta. 851 students f rom 12 di fferent facul t ies were spl i t into interprofessional groups and spent t ime talk ing to th i r teen Regulatory Bodies f rom the province of Alberta discover ing the var ious heal th professions and how they worked with other discipl ines to achieve cl ient out-comes. These opportuni t ies are incredible and truly do heighten the awareness of our profession to the publ ic.

ATRA BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT • The Execut ive Director invest igated Copyr ight Law in Canada and prepared a copyr ight page

to protect ATRA Publ icat ions. In addi t ion, our ExD has been refreshing ATRA’s Pol icy and Pro-cedures which wi l l be an ongoing task. As wel l , wi th input f rom Board of Directors and staff , is developing the ATRA Board of Director ’s Job Descr ipt ion Manual that wi l l serve the associat ion as a recrui tment, or ientat ion, t ra in ing and evaluat ion tool .

• In March, the President in i t iated role review of Board Posi t ions to help wi th role c lar i ty, and workload re-distr ibut ion due to changing and growing responsibi l i t ies wi th in the port fo l ios. One of the outcomes wi l l be to ask our ATRA membership to support the addi t ion of another Board posi t ion – Cont inuing Competence Director wi th the goal of u l t imately providing better support to our members.

• The Communicat ion Director has been researching a webinar sof tware package for the board and chapters, l ia is ing wi th services providers and software companies to f ind the best program for our needs.

• Our newly designed websi te was launched this year under the direct ion of ATRA’s Administrat ive

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Assistant and has many new features for members. There have been a few “gl i tches” along the way, especial ly wi th logins and passwords but everything seems to be working qui te wel l r ight now. The websi te wi l l cont inue to be a “work in progress” as we move into Phase I I of the devel-opment. This second phase wi l l incorporate member dashboards where the member ’s personal informat ion can be updated.

In conclusion, I would l ike to give thanks to the Board, our Execut ive Director and Administrat ive Assistant for their incredible passion and dedicat ion to our professional associat ion! This past year has been a unique year wi th many of our Board members overcoming var ious heal th issues whi le st i l l remaining commit ted to serving ATRA. In addi t ion, the Board would l ike to thank members who have volunteered and cont inue to volunteer in var ious capaci t ies. You are as equal ly important in carry ing out the business of our organizat ion and we could not funct ion wi thout you! We are very for tunate to have members that remain engaged and interested in our profession and with ATRA!

Last ly, we must say farewel l to Vanessa Bunio, our outgoing secretary who was recent ly marr ied and was juggl ing ATRA responsibi l i t ies and planning a wedding at the same t ime! Also, we must say good-bye to El len Helgason, our outgoing Vice President af ter four years of excel lent service to our membership and our profession. Thanks to you both…you wi l l be missed! We wish you al l the best!

To sum i t up… i t has been a year of great t ransi t ion, at the heart of which l ies passion for the ad-vancement of a shared profession!

MEMBERSHIP REPORT - Darlene Murphy, Administrative Assistant

We f in ished the 2014/15 membership year wi th 554 members, which was an increase from the previous year ’s total membership of 511. A breakdown of members by region and by membership category is shown below.

Members for 2014/15 Membership Year = 554

North Region 302 Registered Professional 471 Central Region 156 Associate 5 Lethbr idge Chapter 70 Student 78 Pal l iser Chapter 19 Other 7

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reportsNORTH REGION REPORT - Marina Ketavong

This year the North Chapter held a meet ing dur ing TR month. The meet ing was wel l received with over 30 members in at tendance. The audi tor ium was decorated with bal loons and streamers, food and snacks were served as wel l as pr izes were handed out. Members were also given the opportu-ni ty to share how they were celebrat ing TR month including: TR retreat to Our Lady Peace Ranch to help refresh recreat ion workers and to prevent burnout, auct ion at the end of the month to educate/advert ise therapeut ic recreat ion, earning ‘ rec bucks’ by doing good deeds or part ic ipat ing in recre-at ion act iv i t ies, d isplaying pictures of the residents doing var ious recreat ion and heart st ickers to nursing staff when they are seen providing a form of recreat ion to the residents.

At the U of A, to promote TR month, Cortney Pr ins (student l ia ison) organized a “paracl imbing” wal l event. Di fferent adapted ways of c l imbing were demonstrated and avai lable to t ry; wi th oven mit ts, one hand or one leg etc. to demonstrate c l imbing for indiv iduals who are amputees or paraplegic. In addi t ion, North Chapter member Jaclyn England along with three other recreat ion therapists pro-vided a pract ice wise session. This was through Alberta Heal th Services on new ways therapeu-t ic recreat ion is involved with AHS. What a great year of promot ing Therapeut ic Recreat ion in the community!

This year 2 members were given sponsorship to at tend the CTRA conference in Newfoundland on May 13 - 15, 2015. The two members presented at the May chapter meet ing on their exper iences and lessons learned from the conference. Thank you to the sponsorship commit tee for their t ime and effor ts in select ing and processing members to receive sponsorship.

North Chapter 2015 speakers included: Tuesday February 17, 2015– Sefera Ramji t – “Pat ient Counci l In i t iat ive”Tuesday May 26, 2015 - Col leen Torgunrud – Cl in ical Ethic ist “Boundar ies”Tuesday September 15, 2015 – Fi tness Market ing Group – “Bender bal l exercises”

I would l ike to say a big thank you to Pam Russ who has stepped down from the vice-chair posi t ion. Al though, she has stepped down, she st i l l cont inues to s i t on the sponsorship commit tee and wi l l be co-chair for the 2016 ATRA symposium planning commit tee. Thank you Pam, for a l l that you have done and wi l l cont inue to do for the TR community and profession. The new vice-chair is Carmen Horpestad, welcome Carmen! Other new and cont inuing members are: Secretary – Katr ina Pohl , Treasurer – Sefera Ramji t (new), Student Liaison – JamieLee Stone (new)

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LETHBRIDGE CHAPTER REPORT - Anita Selby

Over the past year our chapter has completed the fol lowing:• Chairperson (Ani ta Selby) met wi th Lethbr idge Col lege students to c lar i fy and discuss the bene-

f i ts of becoming an ATRA member – November 6, 2014.• Signing author i ty for chequing account f inal ized.• We are now meet ing wi th our Execut ive 1-2 weeks pr ior to our Chapter meet ings.• A new laptop has been purchased for the Execut ive members to ut i l ize for minutes and meet ings

for the Lethbr idge Chapter.• Educat ional sessions offered at meet ings

1. AHS Recreat ion Therapy partnership wi th Galt Museum – 10 week creat iv i ty workshop presented by Heidi Davis and Galt representat ive Janae. 2. ATRA’s 2020 Vis ion Strategic Plan (Teleheal th – Patt i Lanigan) 3. Overview of Seniors Financial Assistance Programs through the Government of Alberta Presented by Lindsay Mont ina. 4. Workshop planning with Suzanne Fi tzsimmons cancel led.

• Balance from Treasurer ’s report September 15, 2015 $5489.34• Budget proposed for Lethbr idge Chapter.• Promot ional mater ia ls have been ordered.• The Welcoming commit tee is creat ing and providing a let ter or brochure to new members wi th

pictures and bio’s of execut ive member for new members to be able to ident i fy them.• Invest igat ing two di fferent professional development funds – one for student and one for profes-

sionals. Potent ia l for dol lar amounts are 5 sets of $100.00 each.• A phone l ine wi l l now be avai lable for members of the Lethbr idge Chapter to connect to meet-

ings.• Discussed updated HPA informat ion f rom provincial board.• TR month included a yoga drop- in c lass for professionals in the Lethbr idge area. 10 people

at tended. An act ive l iv ing chal lenge was implemented with the pr ize going to Legacy Lodge for $100.00.

• ATRA banner was displayed at the meet ing. These wi l l be stored at the Lethbr idge Centre for any member to use. Contact Annette Yunick to access and sign out.

• U of L post diploma program was discussed and program has now been started as of September 2015.

• ATRA Lethbr idge Chapter f inancial audi t was completed in May 2015. Kathie E and Br i t tany A completed.

• Lethbr idge Chapter donated $200.00 to the Therapeut ic Riding Associat ion and $200.00 to the Lethbr idge and Distr ict Humane Society.

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reports• ATRA board sponsored money to the Lethbr idge Chapter to send a member to the ATRA Sympo-

sium for 2015.• Lethbr idge Col lege is now including ATRA membership in the Col lege tui t ion fees. 2nd year stu-

dents have the choice of cont inuing their memberships.• The execut ive in Lethbr idge Chapter wi l l be planning a Pizza Party as a way for students to

meet the execut ive members of ATRA and feel more connected.• New Chairperson voted for Lethbr idge Chapter – Brandi Tonin wi l l take this posi t ion.• New Secretary voted for Lethbr idge Chapter – Susan Murray wi l l take this posi t ion.

PALLISER CHAPTER REPORT - Melissa Schlenker

• We reconvened af ter the summer in September (2014) where we discussed possible involvement of our chapter in a workshop being held by the Lethbr idge chapter on Dement ia Pract ice Guide-l ines presented by Suzanne Fi tzsimmons.

• We did not need to hold elect ions dur ing our November meet ing, as our execut ive were in the second year of their posi t ions. We further discussed our involvement for the DPG workshop and a mot ion was made and passed for our chapter to sponsor $500 towards workshop. This meet-ing was fol lowed by an in-service on the Otago exercise program, which was presented by Rae-Anne Shar land, who is a physiotherapy assistant wi th Alberta Heal th Services.

• January brought fur ther discussion of the DPG workshop, and i t was announced that i t had to be cancel led due to unforeseen circumstances involv ing the presenter. Discussed possible act iv i -t ies for TR Month and what each member planned to do to raise awareness within their indiv idu-al faci l i t ies.

• We didn’ t have a meet ing in February, but we did gather twice to celebrate TR Month. On Feb. 11th, we rented a gymnasium for vol leybal l , badminton, and any other act iv i ty people wanted to play. Then on the 26th, many of our chapter gathered at a local pub to play giant jenga, darts, and to enjoy some del ic ious appet izers.

• At our March meet ing, our hot topic was purchasing a f i l ing cabinet : ) I t was voted that we would purchase one to keep our past minutes and other records. This meet ing also included an in-ser-v ice on Music Therapy, by a local Music Therapist , who is t ry ing to promote her therapy within our community.

• In May, we mainly discussed Apr i l ’s board meet ing and no big decis ions were discussed or made.

• Final ly, at our last meet ing in September, we recapped Apr i l ’s board meet ing as many people were not in at tendance at May’s meet ing. Members were completely thr i l led to learn that ATRA generously offered funds to assist wi th members f rom our chapter at tending October ’s sympo-

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sium, and a mot ion was made and passed that said funds would be div ided evenly among those members at tending to assist wi th their expenses. Discussion around North Chapter ’s guest speaker in November, and i t was decided that we would move our chapter ’s meet ing date to cor-relate wi th th is special guest speaker.

• We wi l l be holding elect ions at our next meet ing in November, as our execut ives have now served their two year terms.

CENTRAL REGION REPORT - Charlotte Thompson

I t has been a great year for at tendance in the central chapter wi th our lowest at tendance at 14 peo-ple and highest at 26. Average at tendance for meet ings has been between 15-20 people. We wi l l cont inue to al ternate meet ing days from Tuesday & Thursday, c lose to the th i rd week of the month, cont inuing to spl i t meet ings between south and north locat ions wi th in the c i ty for ease of commuting for al l .Teleheal th wi l l cont inue to be offered for those members unable to at tend on si te and those l iv ing out of Calgary.

We have had some excel lent educat ion sessions & presenters over the past year – highl ights are below. • Mind Body Skil ls: Invit ing Folks to Explore Self-Care Strategies - This session provided an

overview of what “Mind Body Ski l ls” are and why we can al l benef i t f rom learning some sel f -care ski l ls . Judy Brown, RN BSN, Mental Heal th Therapist , Pr imary Mental Heal th Care, Alberta Heal th Services, Sunr idge Medical Gal lery.

• ACETS - Integrat ing Technology and Communicat ion Devices into Rec Therapy Pract ice. This session provided a look into augmentat ive communicat ion devices and strategies as wel l as ad-aptat ions to electronic devices such as computers to enhance independence in use for persons with disabi l i t ies. Danette Rowley, B.SC.OT©, Occupat ional Therapist , ACETS & Seat ing Service, Alberta Chi ldren’s Hospi ta l . Melanie Mat i isen-Dewar, M.SLP, R.SLP©, Speech-Language Pathol-ogist , ACETS Program, Alberta Chi ldren’s Hospi ta l .

• Brain Gym - This session highl ighted the Brain Gym program and focused on mind body tech-niques, and explor ing neural pathways through physical movement. Patr ic ia El ford, B.SC., M.Ed., L icensed Brain Gym ® Instructor/Consul tant.

• Motivation and Exercise Adherance - This session focused on current l i terature around ex-ercise mot ivat ion and adherence and was brought on by an interest in success rates fo l lowing graduat ion f rom a core exercise program. David Wol lman, RSW, Registered Social Worker, Al-berta Heal thy Liv ing Program.

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2015 Annual Report

For TR Month, the Central Region hosted, for the second t ime, a social at Aussie Rules Duel ing Pi-ano Bar in Calgary, including games and pr izes. We were also able to sponsor a le isure themed din-ner for our Red Deer members at a local restaurant. Everyone had an amazing t ime at both events and i t was a great to make contacts and celebrate our amazing profession.

We cont inue to offer sponsorships to our members under our new sponsorship cr i ter ia, so wi th the help of our chapter sponsorship commit tee, two members were selected to at tend the CTRA Confer-ence in St. John’s Newfoundland. The opportuni ty for up to two members to at tend the 2015 ATRA symposium was promoted as wel l , but d id not receive any appl icants.

This year, our chapter off icers have met the goals that were set out in November 2014. We provid-ed qual i ty educat ion sessions at a l l but one chapter meet ings, a l l meet ing NCTRC standards but one session. Teleheal th opportuni t ies were present at a l l meet ings. We maintained an increased level of communicat ion regarding upcoming meet ings, as wel l as asked members to RSVP, so that we could insure enough food & space dur ing the meet ings/educat ion sessions. We were di l igent in keeping our webpage up to date, as wel l as updat ing the dut ies & responsibi l i t ies of chapter of-f icers. The “Welcoming Commit tee” has been created and with some strong members on that com-mit tee we have seen an increase in new members at tending their f i rst meet ings af ter receiv ing a welcoming cal l or emai l f rom these members. Courtney Bartman, outgoing educat ion l ia ison, also represented Central Region and ATRA by at tending a career day at a local h igh school and promot-ing TR. Central Region, along with the Provincial Board’s assistance, is also is in the process of working with the Ci ty of Calgary to advocate for Recreat ion Therapist ’s to assist our c l ients in gain-ing subsidies f rom the City to engage in affordable le isure. In an effor t to br ing exci t ing educat ion opportuni t ies to our members a spr ing educat ion session for 2016 is already in the works.

I have great ly enjoyed my t ime as Central Chapter Chair and Vice-Chair over the past couple of years. I am looking forward to watching the chapter to cont inue to grow with Shannon Hubbert tak-ing over as the new Chair. I know that she wi l l cont inue to lead and represent our chapter wi th the utmost professional ism and dedicat ion. Ti ffany Morin wi l l cont inue in her role as Vice-Chair wi th her passion and creat ive ideas to bui ld on for the next year. Cai t l in Kaminsky wi l l a lso maintain her role on the execut ive as Secretary and wi l l help welcome Andrea Pearson into her new role as Treasurer and Lisa Powel l as the Educat ion Liaison. I t has been such a pleasure to work wi th the outgoing members Courtney Bartman and Susan Cross as wel l . •

reports

BYLAW MOTIONS FOR THE 2015 ATRA ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

9.1 To better al ign and distr ibute the work of the Alberta Therapeut ic Recreat ion Associat ion Board of Directors, be i t resolved that:

The Alberta Therapeut ic Recreat ion Associat ion (ATRA) Board of Directors be increased from f ive (5) posi t ions to s ix (6) wi th the addi t ion of a new board posi t ion “Cont inued Competence Director” wi th the fo l lowing posi t ion descr ipt ion: The Cont inued Competence Director is responsible for coordinat ing the Associat ion’s Cont inuing Educat ion Uni t (CEU) program and for ensur ing adequate and appropr iate cont inuing educat ion opportuni t ies are avai lable for members.

9.2 To have consistency amongst Alberta Therapeut ic Recreat ion Associat ion Board of Director posi t ion t i t les, be i t resolved that:

The posi t ion t i t le “Educat ion Liaison” be changed to “Educat ion Director” .

9.3 To have consistency amongst Alberta Therapeut ic Recreat ion Associat ion Board of Director posi t ion t i t les, be i t resolved that:The posi t ion t i t le “Community Liaison” be changed to “Communicat ion Director” wi th the fo l lowing posi t ion descr ipt ion: The Communicat ion Director manages the communicat ion needs of the Associat ion including both pr int and social media plat forms.

9.4 To have an even rotat ion of board members and to ensure that the Educat ion Director and the Cont inuing Educat ion Director are elected in opposi te years, be i t resolved that:

In the even numbered calendar years the fo l lowing shal l be elected: President, Educat ion Director and Secretary/Treasurer. In the odd numbered calendar years the fo l lowing shal l be elected: Vice President, Cont inued Competence Director and Communicat ion Director.

NON-BYLAW MOTION

MOTION to change student membership cr i ter ia to read:

Appl icants for student membership must be a student taking one or more courses towards the complet ion of a diploma, degree or advanced studies major ing in Therapeut ic Recreat ion or Recreat ion & Leisure Studies.

motions


16

NOMINEE FOR VICE PRESIDENT - Annette Yunick

I have dedicated my career as a Recreat ion Therapist for the past 23 years. I l ive on an acreage 40 km east of Lethbr idge with my fami ly and we enjoy an abundance of le isure act iv i t ies!

I graduated from the Lethbr idge Community Col lege with a diploma in Recreat ion & Leisure Ser-v ices - Therapeut ic Recreat ion, and have served cl ients as a f ront l ine c l in ic ian in long term care, acute care and community for 15 years. I was fortunate to successful ly acquire the professional pract ice leader posi t ion wi th Alberta Heal th Services, South Zone in 2007. Bui ld ing on my knowl-edge, I have taken an act ive role in educat ing mysel f and others through cont inued best pract ice research. Through the design of standardized protocols and the implementat ion of guidel ines for pract ice, I passionately share my expert ise and competencies wi th the team; current ly I mentor and support more than 65 therapeut ic recreat ion staff in both in their learning and day to day roles.

I have also had the opportuni ty to teach beyond the south zone through the del ivery of numerous presentat ions and lectures on innovat ions in therapeut ic recreat ion that include the advancement of TR in the community, end of l i fe care, the value of heal thy le isure l i festy les, creat ive fundrais ing, and the integrat ion of RAI MDS in TR pract ice. Most recent ly I completed the wr i t ing of a distance educat ion course on TR Assessments for the Lethbr idge Col lege TRG diploma program.

I cont inue to fur ther my educat ion and have completed many courses such as Alberta Fi tness Lead-ership Cert i f icat ion for Older Adul ts, Level 1 Case Management, Pr imary Care Improvement Prac-t ice, Fundamentals of Improvement, Change & Problem Solving, Construct ive Conversat ions for Leaders, Emot ional ly Intel l igent Leader and Support ive Pathways Instructor. I part ic ipate and con-tr ibute on provincial therapeut ic recreat ion commit tees including electronic documentat ion, profes-sional pract ice counci l and community of pract ice.

The importance of progressive and innovat ive programs has led me (wi th the assistance of the south zone TR team!) to the development and implementat ion of new therapeut ic recreat ion pract ice in the community and expanding TR opportuni t ies in acute care. Some examples are: Walking to Wel lness, Wheelchair Bik ing, Expressive Art and the integrat ion of therapeut ic recreat ion services wi th in support ive l iv ing; Fragi l i ty & Stabi l i ty Hip Fracture Project and Restorat ive Care. I thr ive f rom bui ld ing col laborat ive and support ive relat ionships wi th community partners to ensure that there are posi t ive recreat ion and le isure opportuni t ies inclusive of a l l people’s abi l i t ies in southern Alberta.

An act ive contr ibut ing member of ATRA, I have held many local chapter board posi t ions for 23 years and in 2010 I was awarded the ATRA Professional of the Year award. Through my research and the

biographies

2015 Annual Report

17

biographies

NOMINEE FOR COMMUNICATION DIRETOR - Kristina McGowan

I graduated from Concordia Universi ty wi th a special izat ion in Therapeut ic Recreat ion in 2000 and since then have worked in a var iety of set t ings and with a var iety of populat ions across Canada, and even in the Uni ted States. I ’ve presented on adapt ive technologies at var ious symposiums in Canada and the United States and also received my CTRS cert i f icat ion in 2013.

I have been an act ive member of ATRA since 2006, and have volunteered at var ious symposiums, held the Chair and Vice Chair posi t ions for the Central Region, and was the co-chair for the 2014 ATRA symposium. I am current ly in the role of Communicat ion Director wi th the ATRA board.

Dur ing my f i rst term as Communicat ion Director, I have worked hard to create a presence for ATRA on social media, wi th the creat ion and upkeep of the ATRA Facebook page, Twit ter feed, and You-Tube space. Al l of these have helped create a better space for ATRA members to interact wi th each other and the Board and have helped br ing posi t ive at tent ion towards the f ie ld of Recreat ion Thera-py.

Within the Communicat ion Director role, I have helped to develop promot ional mater ia l for Thera-peut ic Recreat ion Month, new market ing art ic les, informat ion packages and ATRA branded clothing. I have also helped to edi t and distr ibute the ATRAbute to members across Alberta.

I ’m hard working, enjoy chal lenges and love developing new ideas that wi l l br ing a higher aware-ness of Recreat ion Therapy not only to our members, but the Health Care community and the publ ic as a whole. I ask for your support for a second term as Communicat ion Director, so that I can con-t inue to progress ATRA, and our profession as a whole, through this posi t ion.

abi l i ty to develop new pathways of excel lence for the advancement of the Therapeut ic Recreat ion heal th discipl ine, I consistent ly demonstrate creat iv i ty, passion, dedicat ion and, in addi t ion, I have a genuine commitment to serve others.

I have truly valued and respected the work of ATRA for many years and I would l ike to be consid-ered for the posi t ion of Vice President. I am commit ted and honored to serve the needs of ATRA and know that at th is t ime in my l i fe and career I can successful ly accompl ish th is goal .or the past 23 years. I l ive on an acreage 40 km east of Lethbr idge with my fami ly and we enjoy an abundance


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2015 Annual Report

biographiesNOMINEE FOR SECRETARY/TREASURER - Charlotte Thompson

I am a Cert i f ied Therapeut ic Recreat ion Special ist (CTRS), current ly employed at Carewest-Garr i -son Green. I am passionate about the TR process and love the ongoing chal lenge of working with a wide var iety of people whi le helping them reach their goals and to do things they thought would never be possible again. I most recent ly took on my f i rst NCTRC internship student and have found a passion and interest in helping students develop into their ro le as Recreat ion Therapists.

I am a strong advocate of the profession and bel ieve that ATRA plays a dynamic role in the growth and forward moving direct ion of Therapeut ic Recreat ion in both our province and country. I have been working as a Recreat ion Therapist s ince complet ing a Bachelor ’s Degree (Honours) f rom Brock Universi ty in 2008. Since graduat ion and jo in ing the professional wor ld, I have been an act ive member of ATRA, most recent ly complet ing a fu l f i l l ing two years on the Central Region execut ive as Vice-Chair and Chair. I co-chaired the 2014 ATRA Symposium, and am a current commit tee member for the 2015 ATRA symposium. Provincial ly, I am a member of the Complaints, Invest igat ions and Resolut ion Professional Advancement Commit tee (PAC), as wel l as having worked on var ious other ATRA commit tees throughout the years.

A Northern Ontar io gir l at heart , I have now cal led Calgary home for the past 7 years, newly marr ied and l iv ing wi th my husband Darryl and our two black cats. I enjoy playing any and al l sports espe-cial ly s lo-pi tch and f loor hockey, dancing in Zumba class and reading books through my book club. I have always had a love for the sport of gymnast ics and cont inue my involvement by coaching gym-nast ics at the Universi ty of Calgary.

I am very interested in cont inuing work wi th ATRA through the role of Secretary/Treasurer on the Provincial Board. Thank you!

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fi nancials

20

2015 Annual Report

fi nancialsAlberta Therapeut ic Recreat ion Associat ion Financial Statements

Year Ended May 31, 2015

RECEIPTS

101 Membership Fees 102 CTRA Fees 103 Promot ional Sales 104 Fund Raising 105 Symposium 106 Donat ions 107 Interest 108 Misc Income TOTAL INCOME

DISBURSEMENTS

201 Membership Disbursements 202 CTRA Fees 203 Contract Work / Honorar iums 204 Postage / Cour ier 205 Pr int ing 206 Off ice Suppl ies 207 Staff ing 208 Rent 209 Insurance 210 Board / Commit tee Travel & Expenses 211 Telephone 212 Sponsorship / Advert is ing 213 Awards 214 Memberships / Registrat ions 215 Symposium Expenses 216 Websi te 217 Promot ion Expenses 218 Misc Expenses 219 Bank Charges

TOTAL EXPENSES

NET INCREASE (DECREASE)

2015

144,175.0019,013.00

1,090.005,000.00

28,813.00-0-

1,489.00846.00

200,426.00

14,628.0019,250.00

966.003,635.00

13,817.00677.00

40,091.005,040.00

950.0027,005.00

1,808.002,000.003,591.00

75.002,000.00

25,486.002,077.00

-0-4,486.00

167,582.00

32,844.00

2014

138,390.0021,088.00

2,529.00-0-

2,812.00-0-

1,817.00-0-

166,636.00

12,778.0020,688.0030,355.00

3,486.0022,824.00

1,479.00-0-

3,240.00-0-

19,413.001,680.002,000.001,781.00

-0-6,700.009,008.004,633.00

(5,395.00)4,070.00

138,740.00

27,896.00

21

fi nancials


Alberta Therapeut ic Recreat ion Associat ion Financial StatementsYear Ended May 31, 2015

Bank Balance Beginning of Year ( includes GICs) Net Increase in Equi ty (See Statement of Receipts & Disbursements) Deferred Membership Receipts 2015/2016

Sub Total

ATRA North Region ATRA Central Region ATRA Lethbr idge Chapter ATRA Pal l iser Chapter

MEMBERS EQUITY - BALANCE END OF YEAR

ASSETS

LIABILITIES

2015

379,041.00

32,844.00

122,075.00

___________

289,810.00

23,598.0019,333.00

5,489.002,004.00

340,234.00

0.0

0.0

2014

351,144.00

27,896.00

115,580.00

___________

263,460.00

263,460.00

0.0

0.0

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2015 Annual Report

notes

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Alber ta Therapeutic Recreation Associat ion

8038 Fairmount Drive SECalgar y, AB

T2H 0Y1

Phone: (403) 258-2520

Fax: (403) 255-2234

w w w.alber ta-tr.org

Documents

Annual Report 2015.indd