Aquatic Exercise Association

Intermediate / 3.0 credit hours
 (Pool Viewing Time: 1.5 hours / Classroom Viewing Time: 1.5 hours)

Faculty: Rodna Bordner, MOT, OT/L

COURSE DESCRIPTION: What do you get when you combine therapeutic interventions, water, and enjoyable activities?  Fun for Function! Based upon concepts of healing and humor, fun for function encourages practitioners to incorporate humor and functional activities as part of the healing process. Laughter promotes healing and personal wellbeing, helps develop positive interactions with others, and allows individuals of any age to enjoy life more fully. Explore developmental milestones of humor and play, identify health benefits of fun learning sessions, craft alterations to existing techniques to improve functional skill performance, and create a positive learning environment with humor, games, and music. 

COURSE OBJECTIVES:
 1) Explore the health benefits of humor.
 2) Identify appropriate uses of humor in the healing process.
 3) Consider the therapeutic benefits of music on mood and emotional stability.
 4) Incorporate appropriate games and activities to promote functional movement.
 5) Explore how positive experiences can shape engagement in daily function.
6) Actively participate in pool demonstrations and discussions that explore learning through positive interactions. 

FACULTY: Rodna Bordner, MOT, OT/L, Ai Chi Instructor, has been active in aquatics for 50 years, starting her aquatic life as a swim instructor, and carrying her passion for the water into her occupational therapy career. She enjoyed a 30+-year career as a school-based OT and provided therapy on land and in the therapy pool. She has had the privilege of working with children enrolled in early childhood through school age programs. She currently works in the therapy pool with preschoolers with Autism. She has taught classes for ATRI since 1995 and received the Tsunami Spirit Award in 2002.