Sharing New Ideas Here

I would like to start  sharing more of the resources and different projects I do with my art groups and some other therapeutic recreation interests on this blog.

I have felt very uncertain about putting actual programs up on the blog. It is a little bit unnerving somehow. Leading a Healthy Life is and always will be about my personal journey and the things I feel passionate about.  I have shared a lot of personal information here over the past nine years since I started this blog on the advice of my occupational therapist.

I keep thinking that I should open some kind of professional themed website or blog for the purpose of sharing recreation therapy ideas and local resources and yes, I do get asked once in a while if my projects or programs are on line for others to get ideas. I really don't want to divide my blogging efforts between two spaces but I have been a bit hesitant to let professional colleagues have access to my umm... vulnerable side which I occasionally share here.

The other side of the issue is that I think the programs I can share would be useful for some of the people who already visit this blog. People who have experienced some major life changes, caregivers and some of my friends might be interested too.

I have worried about this for a long time now and have finally worked it through in my own head. I am comfortable in who I am and I can own the experiences I have had. I have gone through a lot of ups and downs but I still keep going and the times when I have not coped well just show I am human and need support. That is not something to hide but something to be proud of.

I am looking forward to sharing some new posts with art projects, theme ideas and resources as well as more of the healthy living and therapy ideas I learn about on this journey.

What are you waiting for?

I was recently at a meeting where we had a large group discussion and talked about changes we could implement. It was a bit of an exercise in discussing needs and goals and then coming up with creative solutions. I was happy - that's my kind of thing~

The take away lesson was to take responsibility for the changes you want to see next around you. Try and come up with ideas but don't just stop there. Don't assume it is someone else's responsibility and sit there waiting for things to changes.  Just go for it yourself and make positive change happen.

So what are YOU waiting for? What are you going to do to make a difference?

What is a MOOC?

Yes I have done one. Yes it is a good thing to do.

MOOC stands for Massive Open Online Course.

Learning has changed and now major institutions put out courses on the internet for no charge. People everywhere can access it. Now that does not necessarily mean that you will have course credit towards a degree, but for certain classes you just might. What it does mean is that we have the ability to be life long learners. We have the ability to explore a topic of interest to us in a way that never existed before.

Two years ago I signed up for a MOOC from the University of Tasmania in Australia called
Understanding Dementia. Now the selling part for me is the part about it being free. I had a lot of knowledge about Dementia thrown at me when I was getting my Therapeutic Recreation Certification but I felt like there was still a lot that I did not truly understand. It is a very complex and devastating disorder that is becoming increasingly common with our aging population and I wanted to learn more.

I found myself signed up, doing a questionnaire and registered in a nine week course that offered a set of online learning modules. They had videos with the experts, cartoons, videos, interviews and text to read. It was pretty simply presented but yet very thorough. There were student forums where you could discuss topics and you were occasionally expected to post. There were people from all over the world, There were health professionals and there were researchers, family members of people with dementia and there were people diagnosed with dementia who all wanted to learn about their common interest. There were indeed end of module quizzes but if you made mistakes you had a chance to learn from your mistakes and repeat the quiz. They were not something to rank you or for you to worry about

In the end I actually finished and got my course completion certificate from the University of Tasmania. Pretty cool for a lady sitting at her computer in Winnipeg Canada Eh?
If I was interested in doing a degree in Tasmania this course would be credited for the program.. it is indeed a real university course.

They have a second free class about possibly preventing dementia and I think I will do that one too.


The following little video is from a page that gives links. Look here to find lots of amazing places your can find a class to take for free.

MOOC