(from left to right) Tarnesa Ramarine, Anna Gatliff, John Simmons, Denby Jester, and Loren Gills
April is Occupational Therapy Month, and on April 26, OTA students at the Ashdown campus celebrated the work OTA’s and OT’s do for people of all ages. Students in UA Cossatot’s OTA program made a special lunch to mark the occasion.
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. OTA’s and OT’s help people of all ages by promoting health, preventing injuries, and helping people adjust to disabilities and illnesses.
For two hundred years occupational therapy has been an official profession. In early April, UA Cossatot OTA instructors took eight OTA students to New Orleans, Louisiana for the national American Occupational Therapy Conference. At the conference, students were given a chance to attend workshops, seminars, educational sessions, and fun activities related to occupational therapy.
In April, OTA students also participated in a give back activity. The students created non-slip decorated socks. These socks were then given to residents at Pleasant Manor Nursing Home in Ashdown, Arkansas. The students also participated in Sevier County and Little River County health fairs where they presented information on occupational therapy and safety in the home to prevent health risks.
OTA students at UA Cossatot participate in many fundraisers and projects to raise money for educational and community service activities. They also raise money to offset costs for a review course to prepare for their national board exam.
To learn more about UA Cossatot’s OTA program or ways you can support the program, please e-mail OTA Program Director, Tamla Heminger at theminger@cccua.edu.
(from left to right) Tarnesa Ramarine, Anna Gatliff, John Simmons, Denby Jester, and Loren Gills