Country members/Slovenia/Newsletter
Newsletter from Slovenia – spring 2011
Recent activities of the Slovenian Association of Occupational Therapists (SAOT) focused on the organisation of the 5th Congress in September 2010. The theme of the congress was “Occupational therapy in the community”. It was chosen with the aim of raising awareness about the fact that the current organisation of health care and social services does not support or enable client to get occupational therapy services in their community. This is also why the SAOT invited Ruth Crowder, COT Policy Officer Wales to open the congress with the keynote lecture on the “Influence for occupation: the voice of occupational therapy in policy making”. Her experience and knowledge encouraged a very dynamic discussion.
Also other sessions of the congress covered relevant topics such as the Visibility of occupational therapy and presentation of the “Slovenian integrated occupational therapy model”.
In December 2010 the SAOT organised the traditional “New year seminar”. Its topic was “Evidence – based occupational therapy”. The meeting was opened by the lecture of an invited speaker, who presented the principles and methods of evidence-based approach to interventions in rehabilitation. The discussion opened many issues that point out the need for a coordinated approach to supporting and encouraging practicing occupational therapist to base and argument their work using existing research and other evidence.
For 2011 SAOT is putting special emphasis in providing its member with opportunities for their continuous professional development by organising seminars and courses. Some of most relevant include:
- Occupational therapy with a neurological client (January)
- Assessment of awareness of disability (February)
- Validation – an innovative approach to elderly
- COPM
- CIMT (Constraint induced movement therapy)
- AMPS
- Early OT with children