[BobbyB]

Going Above and Beyond to Help Those With ALS - Corner Brook Resident receives CAOT/NLAOT Citation Award
CORNER BROOK, NL, Oct. 17 /CNW Telbec/



- The Canadian Association of
Occupational Therapists (CAOT) and the Newfoundland & Labrador Association of
Occupational Therapists (NLAOT) are pleased to present Cheryl Power with their
2008 Citation Award. The award is to be presented at a ceremony on Monday,
October 20, at Western Memorial Hospital in Corner Brook.
Cheryl Power is the executive director of the ALS Society of Newfoundland
and Labrador. She is receiving this award for her work above and beyond the
call with people suffering from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).
Cheryl lost her father to ALS and possesses a unique understanding of
what families coping with this progressive and fatal neuromuscular disease are
facing. She often is one of the first people to work with those who have been
diagnosed with ALS along with their family members providing support every
step of the way.
Cheryl keeps in close contact with her clients, travelling across the
province many times a year to maintain face-to-face contact with clients and
their families. This is not a '9 to 5' job for Cheryl, who gives her clients
her cell phone number and encourages them to call regardless what time it may
be.
Working closely with occupational therapists, Cheryl works to improve her
clients' quality of life on a daily basis-finding equipment to loan them or
seeking funding to buy more equipment and sharing information with
occupational therapists to aid their clients at home and work.
Cheryl understands that her clients are people first and not just a
diagnosis. She works tirelessly to help preserve quality of life for her
clients and their families. The CAOT / NLAOT Citation Award is a fitting
tribute to her tireless campaign for the betterment of her clients.
Occupational therapy is a health profession concerned with promoting
health and well-being through occupation. Occupation refers to everything that
people do during the course of everyday life. The primary goal of occupational
therapy is to enable people to participate in the occupations which give
meaning and purpose to their lives.

The Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Occupational Therapists
(NLAOT) was established in the 1960's. Since that time we have grown in both
the number of practicing therapists as well as the services offered within
Newfoundland Labrador. NLAOT is a non-profit association representing 135
Occupational Therapist practicing in Newfoundland and Labrador; 20% of which
are employed in private practice.

The Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists is a national,
non-profit professional organization. CAOT, along with its provincial and
territorial affiliates, represents over 10,000 occupational therapists and
almost 1,100 students. For more information on occupational therapy, visit
www.caot.ca. To find an occupational therapist in your community, visit
www.otworks.ca and click on OT Finder.



For further information: Graeme Burk, Communications Coordinator,
Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists, (800) 434-2268, ext. 225,
communication@caot.ca; Jeff Williams, B.Sc., B.Sc. O.T. (R) NL, Occupational
Therapist, Injury Prevention/Recovery Management, Occupational Health and
Rehabilitation, Health Sciences Centre, President of NLAOT 2008-09, (709)
777-3129