newsletter More than 20 years of making Meaningful Experiences!

Transcription

1 Meaningful Day Services MAIN OFFICE: 225 South School Street Brownsburg, IN (317) Fax: (317) SOUTHERN INDIANA OFFICE: 700 Missouri Avenue Jeffersonville, IN (812) NORTHERN INDIANA OFFICE: 6142 Saint Joe Center Road, #171 Fort Wayne, IN (260) INDIANAPOLIS DAY SERVICES: 2461 Director s Row, Suite J Indianapolis, IN (317) Fax: (317) May 2014/Issue 10 newsletter More than 20 years of making Meaningful Experiences! Amber and Amanda are proud of the MDS mission. IN THIS ISSUE: ABA South open house... pg 5 Thank you to Autism Speaks... pg 6 Creativity in recreational therapy... pg 12

2 [ FROM THE CEO Let s Play it Again New Center Opens in Jeffersonville Madison and Zoe enjoy exploring the new Music Therapy room during the open house in Jeffersonville. To schedule a tour, call (812) Well I have to say I was not surprised that no one was able to name all of the pictures that I provided in the last newsletter. Therefore, the pictures are being posted again and this time there are multiple choices for the answers. We are adding a $25 gift card along with the MDS T-shirt for the first person who can correctly identify all of these celebrities. your answers to me asap at smillergivan@meaningfuldays.net. We are also starting our regular contest with this issue. Search the pages of the newsletter to find the MDS employee baby picture. The first person to identify that photo gets a free T-shirt and a chance to win a $100 gift certificate! #1 a. Zoe Saldana b. Penelope Cruz c. Jennifer Lopez d. Salma Hayek #3 a. Ken Watanabe b. Jackie Chan c. Garrett Wang d. Bruce Lee #5 a. Justin Timberlake b. Eminem c. Rod Stewart d. Ryan Reynolds #7 a. Ronald Reagan b. Paul Newman c. Robert Redford d. George Clooney #9 a. Tyler Perry b. Bill Cosby c. Will Smith d. Samuel L. Jackson #2 a. Betty White b. Marilyn Monroe c. Veronica Lake d. Patti Page #4 a. Susan Olsen b. Susan Gordan c. Shirley Temple d. Drew Barrymore #6 a Oprah Winfrey b. Oprah Winfrey c. Oprah Winfrey d. Oprah Winfrey #8 a. Emma Stone b. Reese Witherspoon c. Natalie Portman d. Scarlett Johansson #10 a. Matt Damon b. Bradley Cooper c. Ryan Reynolds d. Brad Pitt MDS Newsletter 2 May 2014 MDS Newsletter 3 May 2014

3 [ COMMUNITY SUPPORTS ABA THERAPY ] Have you heard the news? We are having our children s program available in Brownsburg now! Don t miss out this summer and join the fun. We will be having trips to Sky Zone, Monster Golf, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Bounce Town, Splash Island, and much, much more. We will be working on individual programming throughout the summer to improve social skills, physical fitness, academic tasks, and other programs tailored to your child s needs. ABA South Expands Paige enjoys playground time. ABOVE: everyone smiles for the press photographer during the ribbon cutting for the new ABA South facility on April 17. LEFT: Cooper is working hard, as usual. Max (above) and Loren (right) at Fun World. More than 20 years of making Meaningful Experiences! MDS Newsletter 4 May 2014 Providing a more meaningful experience for young children ABA South celebrated the opening of the new 4,000-square-foot Children s Therapy Center on April 17. This new location and will provide clients between the ages of 3 11 a space designed specifically for their needs. Here, they can receive Applied Behavior Analysis, Occupational Therapy, Music Therapy, and Recreational Therapy in a modern facility. Our current facility will now focus on our clients age 11 through early adulthood by providing Applied Behavior Analysis, Occupational Therapy, Music Therapy, and Recreational Therapy. The new building will be home to a simulated preschool and elementary school environment with a sensory area designed by our occupational therapist. It will offer classroom-like experiences created by our Board Certified Behavior Analysts that will simulate language, social, pretend play, leisure, and self-help skills, along with providing academic opportunities. MDS Newsletter 5 May 2014

4 [ DAY SERVICES A big thank you! LEFT: Heather Armstrong at the So Italian fundraising event to benefit Autism Speaks. BELOW: Alice and the therapy horse at the Fort Wayne Autism Expo. We want to send a big thank you to Mary Tocci from Autism Speaks for donating 2 ipads to our Adult Day Services! Autism Speaks is one of the world s leading autism science and advocacy organizations. They fund research into the causes, prevention, treatments and a cure for autism. We are so grateful to have this opportunity to receive such a generous gift. Come out Saturday, May 31 to White River State Park and join us in supporting Walk Now for Autism Speaks. Mark your calendar for May 31! Fort Wayne therapists pose with the Tin Caps mascot at the Autism Expo. MDS Newsletter 6 May 2014 MDS Newsletter 7 May 2014

5 [ BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT SERVICES BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT SERVICES ] It s almost SUMMER TIME! I know that after the winter we just had, we are really going to enjoy the warm summer weather. I am sure that everyone has heard someone say, or you have even said it yourself, I don t care how hot it is this summer. I am not going to complain about the heat! But come July and August, I am sure we will hear some complaints anyway! The summer weather brings to mind some precautions and issues that we should all keep in mind. SUNSCREEN! I remember the time when everyone was trying to get that dark, golden tan. Although we appreciate that healthy-looking tan, the sun can damage the skin and increase the risk of skin cancer. It s best to use a high SPF , and one that provides good protection for both UVA and UVB radiation. Use it before going outside and re-apply often! KNOW YOUR CLIENT S MEDICATIONS! Some medications have photosensitivity as a side-effect meaning that your skin is more sensitive to sun burn. Some of us old-timers minds immediately go to the old phenothiazines, such as Thorazine, but there are other medications that have the same side-effects, including some blood pressure medications. Read the side-effects list, but when in doubt, use sunscreen. SWIMMING! Nothing better on a hot summer day than jumping into a pool. Provide close supervision of your clients, even if only in a few feet of water. Pay special attention to any clients that have a diagnosis of seizure disorder and know their auras, if any, or any other warning signs of an impending seizure. And not all water lovers are good swimmers so always be aware of where your clients are! SUNSCREEN AGAIN! Make sure you use sunscreen when swimming and don t believe the label on the sunscreen that says it s water-proof because it s not! Re-apply sunscreen after being in the water! It will wash off! HEAT STROKE! I know, that s the last thing you re thinking of right now, but it is going to get hot sometime this summer. Heat stroke can happen to anyone regardless of age or physical condition. Know the signs of heat stroke. If out with your clients on a hot day, take frequent breaks and watch for the signs of heat stroke such as confusion, disorientation and fatigue. If you are feeling too hot, take a break and cool down! VACATIONS! Many of us enjoy taking a little time off in the summer. When planning a vacation, make sure that you also plan for making certain that your clients needs continue to be met as well. While some of us will still take phone calls (not recommended) a better approach is to have someone who will take calls for us and attend to any crises or needs that may arise. Make certain that your clients staff have that contact information and know who to call! So enjoy your summer and stay safe. And it probably won t be too long, before we hear someone complain about the heat! But it won t be me! A new consultant We are excited to welcome a new behavior consultant to our Fort Wayne region. Brad Quandt has been working with individuals with developmental disabilities for the past couple years. He is preparing to sit for his examination to become a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. Brad is accepting new referrals in Fort Wayne and surrounding areas. We are very excited to welcome Brad to our MDS team! Tay and Grace enjoy Joy Prom. Behavior Management Counties Providing quality, hands-on services that enhance and improve the independence of each unique individual. MDS Newsletter 8 May 2014 MDS Newsletter 9 May 2014

6 [ MUSIC THERAPY SERVICES MUSIC THERAPY SERVICES ] Welcome Jamie! We are excited to welcome Jamie Ubalde, MT-BC to the music therapy team. Jamie is a St. Mary of the Woods graduate who recently finished her internship at the Franciscan Life Process Center in Michigan. Jamie will be working in the Fort Wayne area. To learn more about Jamie, go to: Upcoming Drum Circles West Side Indianapolis Drum Circle has a new location Beginning in June, our west side drum circle has found a new location at Cornerstone Christian Church in Brownsburg. We hope the new location will have less traffic issues for individuals wishing to attend. We look forward to seeing you: June 20, :00 pm Cornerstone Christian Church 8930 State Road 267 Brownsburg, IN North-Central Indy Drum Circle June 13, :15 pm Carmel Lutheran Church 4850 E. Main Street Carmel, IN Fort Wayne Drum Circle June 13, :00 pm Epiphany Lutheran Church 6606 Maplecrest Road Fort Wayne, IN Henry County Drum Circle June 18, :00 pm DSI 1510 Washington Street New Castle, IN MDS WHO AM I? Music Therapy Counties Play the MDS Who Am I? game! Identify the employee pictured here. CEO Sandra Miller-Givan at: smillergivan@meaningfuldays.net with your answer. You could win a free T-shirt and be entered in a drawing to win a $100 gift certificate! LEFT: Paul and Brad perform at the client concert in Fort Wayne. BELOW LEFT: Celeste performs with Alison at the Fort Wayne client concert. BELOW RIGHT: Alison and Marva perform at the Fort Wayne client concert. MDS Newsletter 10 May 2014 MDS Newsletter 11 May 2014

7 [ RECREATIONAL THERAPY SERVICES RECREATIONAL THERAPY SERVICES ] Finding the Create in Recreational Therapy BY: RHETA D. CONNER, CTRS This past winter sure was a cold one, so cold that a lot of my consumers were unable to participate in their weekly horseback riding sessions. Instead of riding, some consumers chose to do craft projects during the winter months. Casey chose to make a fabric wall mural using various pieces of scrap fabric. The project took him several sessions to complete and he finished it just as springtime arrived. To make the wall mural, Casey chose a scenic picture he found on the internet to use as his inspiration picture. He then looked through numerous tubs of donated fabric to choose the material he wanted to use for his mural. He also looked through clip art and pictures on the computer for objects he wanted on his mural and after the shapes had been cut out of his chosen material, Casey used an iron and a sewing machine to create his beautiful wall art. He plans on hanging his fabric wall mural in his home. In addition to sewing, some consumers including Emily and Lisa chose to make sun catchers using cookie cutters, cake pans, and plastic beads. To make the sun catchers, consumers filled the bottom of cookie cutters and cake pans with plastic beads. The beads were baked in an oven to melt the beads. When cooled, the shapes were removed from the pans and cookie cutters. An electric drill was used to make holes in the shapes and fishing line was used to connect the shapes together. Another winter craft project that some consumers, including Jeffrey chose to do was a decoupage picture using foam board, Mod Podge, and pictures from old magazines and calendars. To make the wall art, consumers cut the pictures into strips then applied the strips to a piece of foam board using Mod Podge and a foam brush. New Service Areas for Rec Therapy Emily (left) and Lisa (above) show the sun catchers they made with Rheta during Recreational Therapy. James with the dog bed he made for his two small dogs during his sessions with Rheta. LEFT: Paul shows off the sun catcher he made during Rec.Therapy. RIGHT: Jeffrey shows his decoupage picture. MDS Newsletter 12 May 2014 MDS Newsletter 13 May 2014