Information has just been made available about the new website – http://www.livablehousingaustralia.org.au/. Have a look and send me your thoughts…..
Joseph Coughlin presented at the USA OT Conference that was held this last week and provided an entertaining and highly informative speech on aging issues. See his website for his material – http://www.josephcoughlin.com/. Definitely worth a read. Let me know what you think…
The USA OT Conference featured an interesting session on apps for practice. Some of the popular apps used by staff include:
My Measures Pro
Measures Lite
Magicplan
Upad
Cad Touch
Doodle Buddy
Finger Cad
Home 3D
Iblue Print 2.0
Touch Draw
I would be interested in hearing from anyone with some terrific suggestions on apps that they have used, whether they are listed above, or any new apps. In particular, some information on what works well and what doesn’t with respect to the various apps that are available through the app store, would be great….
Desleigh and I had the opportunity to meet John Bond, Brien Cumming and Michelle Gatt, staff from the company that published our book. We met these staff at the most recent USA OT Conference in Indianapolis. Sales of the book went well at the conference, with the stand selling out of our publication. People interested in sourcing a copy are encouraged to contact SLACK Inc through their website. I would welcome any comments on the book to enable us to think about future improvements…
The USA OT Conference for 2012 has just finished today. It has been a busy, packed event with over 5000 therapists attending. The co-author of the text book and I presented a three hour workshop on home modification practice using a case study approach and the event was well attended. We had the opportunity to attend some interesting sessions relating to home mods practice eg working as a private practitioner; creative ways to educate students in home mods practice; computer apps for the iphone and ipad; and a review of home modification research to inform our practice. There were great opportunities to network with some of the well known names in the home modification and other fields – Carol Siebert, Barbara Kornblau, Carolyn Baum, Karen Jacobs and others. Of particular interest was the presentation by Joseph Coughlin on the aging population, Karen Jacobs presentation on marketing OT,Anita Hamilton and associates on the use of social networking, and Carolyn Baum’s session on research funding initiatives in the USA. More information will be shared at the Qld Home Mods Discussion Group to be held in June….hope to see you there…
The next meeting will occur on Sat 2 June at 10am at LifeTec with a presentation by me on the activities of therapists undertaking home mods practice and research in the USA and UK; and a presentation by staff from Bendtech on their home modification products and problems they are encountering with the Australian Access Standards in the manufacture of rails. You are welcome to send me your details for attendance on the day at any time. Please bring a plate for morning tea if you would like to attend…..
The Bathroom Modification Workshop (1/2 day, 17 Sept) and Kitchen Modification Workshop (1/2 day, 19 October) will include information presented by both myself and a builder. Practical building and OT tips and hints about the modification process, products and finishes, and case studies will be presented. Registrations are open now…..Do contact me through the contact page of this blog if you would like more information and the registration forms.
I shall be presenting a three hour home modifications workshop with Desleigh de Jonge at the USA OT Conference to be held in Indianapolis on Friday 27 April 2012 from 2 – 5pm. The workshop will be a case study based presentation that will take the attendee through the home modification process and provide detailed information on theory, tools and resources to assist practice. Three case studies will be showcased. More information about the conference is available at – http://www.aota.org/ConfandEvents/2012Conference.aspx.
We look forward to meeting our American colleagues and hearing others present on home mods practice too….
Registrations are now being taken for the half day ramp workshop being conducted on Friday 20 July – 8.30am to 1pm. Topics covered will include legislation and standards influencing ramp design; ramp types for interior and exterior use around the home; how to measure up and string out a ramp; calculating ramps on flat and sloped ground; and resources for practice. Time will be made available for discussion about specific case studies and an audit of an existing ramp.
If you are interested in attending, please contact me through the contact page on this website. Limited places available.
Another book has come on the market regarding Universal Design – by Jon Sanford in Atlanta Georgia. It would be well worth a read – http://www.springerpub.com/product/9780826125521#.T4J9K3l5euw
