The topic of managing function in your everyday life is the feature of “Functional Fridays,” a livestream series presented by the Area Agency on Aging District 7 (AAA7) and the Shawnee State University Occupational Therapy program. The series will be featured on Fridays in February and March.
During the series, two graduate students in the occupational therapy program at Shawnee State discuss a specific topic related to managing function.
According to the American Occupational Therapy Association, occupational therapy is the only profession that helps people across the lifespan to do the things they want and need to do through the therapeutic use of daily activities (occupations). Occupational therapy practitioners enable people of all ages to live life to its fullest by helping them promote health and prevent — or live better with — injury, illness or disability. The students in the occupational therapy program at Shawnee State incorporate educating the community as a part of their studies in providing additional resources and information about occupational therapy and the many ways it can be used to help individuals.
During the Functional Fridays livestreams, the students plan on discussing the use of technology such as smart phone settings and apps, in addition to a variety of other topics that may impact function in older adults and improve overall quality of life.
Scheduled livestreams will take place on: Feb. 3 and March 10, 17, 24 and 31. All of the broadcasts can also be watched on playback on the AAA7 Facebook page. For more information, log on to www.aaa7.org, click on the “Functional Fridays” box mid-way on the home page, and find the date you are looking for.
For more information about Functional Fridays, contact the AAA7 at 1-800-582-7277 or [email protected] or Sandi Allen, OT, MHSc, with the Shawnee State University Master of Occupational Therapy Program at 740-351-3398 or [email protected].
The AAA7 provides services on a non-discriminatory basis in 10 counties in Southern Ohio including Adams, Brown, Gallia, Highland, Jackson, Lawrence, Pike, Ross, Scioto and Vinton. These services are available to help older adults and those with disabilities live safely and independently in their residence of choice through services paid for by Medicare, Medicaid, other federal and state resources, as well as private pay. Those interested in learning more can call toll-free at 1-800-582-7277 (TTY: 711).
Submitted by Jenni Lewis, director of community outreach and training, AAA7.
