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Program Information - Concurrent Sessions
Breakout Session #1
Therapy First When Partnering at a PATH Intl. Facility
Gina Taylor, MS, OT, HPCS & Melanie Dominko-Richards, MS, CCC-SLP, HPCS
This presentation will guide therapist and therapy assistants in forming therapy first partnerships at PATH Intl. facilities. Presentation will cover types of partnerships, PATH Standards related to therapy, common working challenges, and therapy first solutions.
Learning objectives:
- Participants will be able to identify three common working challenges
- Participants will be able to compare working relationships
- Participants will complete a worksheet to develop a potential PATH Intl. partnership plan
- Participants will be able to recognize the impact of PATH Intl. Standards on professional partnerships
- Participants will articulate three possible therapy first solutions to common working challenges
Breakout Session Supporting Document: PATH Worksheet
Presenter Disclosure
Financial: The presenters do not receive money for their presentation.
Non-Financial: Gina Taylor & Melanie Dominko-Richards are members of the AHA, Inc
Breakout Session #2
The ABC’s of Behavior (All Behavior is Communicative)
Kate Scotti, M.S. CCC-SLP TSSLD & Neita Miller, MS, CCC-SLP, HPCS
During this presentation, conference attendees will explore the meaning of “behavior” and how best to manage them. All behavior is communicative and should be responded to as such. Participants will learn to prevent and respond to aggressive escalations when clients don’t feel
heard. Presenters will share ways equine movement can be used to support the limbic & somatosensory systems of their clients in conjunction with communicative tools for supporting clients in maintaining a ready state for learning and communication.
Learning Objectives:
- Participants will define behavior
- Participants will identify the signs of escalation
- Participants will describe prevention techniques for negative behavior
- Participants will identify safety considerations when using equine movement during instances of escalating and aggressive client behavior
Breakout Session Supporting Document: Presentation PDF
Presenter Disclosure
Financial: The presenters do not receive money for their presentation.
Non-Financial: Kate Scotti and Neita Miller are a members of the AHA, Inc
Breakout Session #3
Certified Horsemanship Association Presentation: Connecting the Team – Therapist, Horse Professional and Horse
Christy Landwehr, CEO
The therapist relies on the horse professional to maximize the horse’s movement and behavior for the benefit of the client. Discover more about how to choose the horse professional you collaborate with and learn about the tools of their trade.
Breakout Session Supporting Document: Presentation PDF
Presenter Disclosure
Financial: The presenters do not receive money for their presentation.
Non-Financial: Christy is not a member of the AHA, Inc.
Breakout Session #4
Hospital-Based PT/OT/ST Utilizing Equine Movement as a Treatment Tool. How, where, and why to start
incorporating equine movement (hippotherapy) through a Hospital System
Tracey Allyson Lewis, P.T., HPCS
This presentation will describe how to start incorporating equine movement as a treatment tool (hippotherapy) within a hospital system. How to get started with funding sources in a hospital system to cover the additional costs of providing these services, mainly lease fees for facility and horse and liability insurance. The options for treatment space and horses. Horse selection and training will be discussed and how to manage this in the hospital setting. Discussion on insurance, contacts and other necessary paperwork. Details will be covered on volunteers to include recruiting, training, safety, scheduling. What the clinical part; referrals, evaluations, documentation, billing looks like. The pros and cons of providing services within a hospital system as opposed to a private practice setting. There are only a small number of services incorporating equine movement as a treatment tool (hippotherapy) through a hospital system and there could be so much more services available incorporating equines if this asset was better understood and utilized.
This presentation will be beneficial to participants because the asset of hospital-based services is underutilized. This presentation will discuss the barriers and how they can be overcome and become an asset to these services in terms of reaching more patients, having better reimbursement and overall utilizing the hospital's assets to the therapist’s and ultimately our patient’s benefit. Hospital-based services can allow the therapists to reach more patients who are in need of this effective treatment tool and provide the therapist with secure employment including benefits and a good salary.
Learning Objectives:
- The participant will understand the step by step process to start hospital affiliated treatment using equine movement (hippotherapy).
- The participant will have an understanding on how to begin by approaching needed systems within your hospital for success.
- The participant will understand insurance and liability needs and options available
- The participant will understand the options for leasing facilities and horses.
- The participant will understand how to work with barn owners on horse selection and training as it relates to the needs of incorporating equine movement as a treatment tool (hippotherapy) within the scope of a hospital setting.
Breakout Session Supporting Document: Presentation PDF
Presenter Disclosure
Financial: The presenter did not receive money for their presentation.
Non-Financial: Tracey Lewis is a member of the AHA, Inc.
Breakout Session #5
Role Of The Vagus Nerve In Humans And Horses: Learn To Recognize It, To Include It In Your Clinical Reasoning
And To Influence It To Optimize Patients’ Outcomes And Help Therapy Horses Thrive.
Catherine Wycoff, PT, DPT, HPCS
When including the movement of the horse in a therapy session, the traditional patient/therapist treatment team expands to include volunteers, an equine and an unpredictable environment. Every member of the team has an effect on the patient’s feeling of safety, ability to learn and treatment outcomes. The effectiveness and safety of the therapy team can be jeopardized by ignoring the pervasive effects of the vagal tone on all aspects of learning, it is therefore crucial for the therapist to include it in their clinical reasoning and to learn how to modulate it.
Through a review of the anatomy and function of the vagus nerve within the autonomic nervous system of humans and horses, we will discuss the impact of both the internal and external environment on our and our horses’ general well being and on one’s ability to learn, heal and thrive. We will describe how to develop your ability to recognize our patients’ vagal tone and their readiness to learn, and share the tools we have successfully used to help our patients’ autonomic nervous system stay in a state that is optimal for learning and thriving. We will then focus on recognizing the equine vagal tone’s role in suboptimal horse behaviors, and give you the tools to prevent or problem solve them if and when they occur during therapy. Creating an environment in which the therapy horse feels safe, and is reliable and fully participating in the session is crucial to ensure their long term well being. Finally, we will discuss the importance of social connection and non verbal and verbal communication within the therapy team, through the lens of each team members’ vagal tone and how it influences the vagal tone of the whole team.
At the end of the presentation, you will have the tools to recognize your therapy team members’ vagal tone, and ideas to help modulate it, to ensure a good connection within the team, maximum safety and an optimal treatment outcome for your patients.
Learning Objectives:
- Review of the vagal nerve anatomy and of its role in the autonomic nervous system’s impact on social connection and learning.
- Develop the ability to recognize vagal tone in humans
- Develop the ability to recognize vagal tone in horses
- Understand how the therapy team’s vagal tone affects your patient’s feeling of safety and ability to thrive in the therapy session.
- Learn practical solutions to optimize the vagal tone of the whole therapy team (volunteers, patient, therapist and horse) for optimal outcomes.
Breakout Session Supporting Document: Presentation PDF
Presenter Disclosure
Financial: The presenter did not receive money for their presentation.
Non-Financial: Catherine Wycoff is a member of the AHA, Inc.
Breakout Session #6
Considerations for Treatment Planning when Incorporating Equine Movement
Antonietta (Etta) Louise Iannaccone OTD, MA, OTR/L & Laura Hunsucker PTD, PT
In this presentation, we will define medical necessity in the context of outpatient therapy clinics. We will relate it to the importance of re-evaluating your patient’s plan of care regularly to ensure adherence to therapy professional’s code of ethics. Typical barriers in outpatient therapy clinics will be identified as well as barriers that are unique to therapy clinics that utilize equine movement. Through examination of case studies, therapists’ clinical reasoning in discharge planning will be challenged. At the end of this presentation, practitioners will be more comfortable with when and how to change a patient’s plan of care.
This presentation is designed to emphasize the importance of creating and updating a patient’s plan of care on a regular basis even when therapy is taking place in a “non-traditional” setting. Changing a plan of care can be hard for any patient, but there are unique challenges to consider when equine movement is being utilized. These challenges include but are not limited to participating in “normal” activity, the indisputable human-animal bond, and being able to see/feel the immediate effects from equine movement. However, regardless of the payer source, a therapist’s code of ethics needs to be the driving force for treatment planning.
Learning Objectives:
- Describe how skilled therapy is relevant to a therapy professional’s code of ethics
- Identify three different ways a therapy professional could change a plan of care if a patient plateaus during treatment
- Describe three ways or opportunities to educate families on appropriate expectations from therapy
Breakout Session Supporting Document: Presentation PDF
Presenter Disclosure
Financial: The presenters do not receive money for their presentation.
Non-Financial: Antonietta Iannaccone & Laura Hunsucker are members of the AHA, Inc.
Breakout Session #7
Human Focused Design in Therapy, Business, Marketing, and more...
Gina Taylor, MS, OT, HPCS
This presentation will introduce attendees to the core motivational drives that can be used in Human Focused Design. Attendees will learn how to assess core drive motivations in their own therapy services, business or marketing materials. Real life case studies and application will be emphasized.
Learning objectives:
- Participants will be able to identify eight motivational core drives
- Participants will compare intrinsic and extrinsic motivators in the therapy context.
- Participants will assess the motivational characteristics of a business, marketing or therapy service offering that they use in real life.
Breakout Session Supporting Document: Human Focused Design Handout
Presenter Disclosure
Financial: The presenter did not receive money for their presentation.
Non-Financial: Gina Taylor is a member of the AHA, Inc.
Breakout Session #8
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly: Safety Equipment Utilized with Equine Movement
Samantha Hatfield, PT, DPT, HPCS
There is no doubt that health professionals must always be thinking about the safety of our patients. “Do no harm” is something we all must adhere to. Incorporating equine movement into a patient’s plan of care carries safety risks which must always be considered with the utmost caution. This presentation will review the current evidence for the use of helmets and gait belts to keep our patients safe. It will review legal case studies on the use of safety equipment from a professional liability insurance company. Finally, the presentation will include case studies/examples and allow for discussion amongst participants for considering benefits and risks of using safety equipment when incorporating equine movement. This presentation will encourage occupational therapists, physical therapists, and speech language pathologists to more thoroughly consider use of safety equipment during therapy sessions and determine if the benefits of the movement do or do not outweigh the risks.
When integrating equine movement into our treatment plan, we include a powerful treatment tool but one that has inherent safety risks. We need to know the current evidence on safety equipment, so we know best how to protect our patients.
Learning Objectives:
- Participants will be able to identify how helmets help improve safety and at least 2 areas of design/testing flaws
- Participants will identify precautions/contraindications for helmet use
- Participants will be able to describe benefits and at least 3 precautions/contraindications for gait belt use
- Participants will be able to identify liability for use/lack of use of safety equipment based off real cases
Breakout Session Supporting Document: Presentation PDF
Presenter Disclosure
Financial: The presenter did not receive money for their presentation.
Non-Financial: Samantha Hatfield is a member of the AHA, Inc.
Breakout Session #9
Marketing Your Practice in a Digital World
Melanie Dominko-Richards, MS, CCC-SLP, HPCS & Kate Scotti, M.S. CCC-SLP TSSLD
In this presentation, attendees will learn the ins and outs of digital marketing including Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and website content and design. Two of the key elements of a strong social media and digital presence are identifying your audience and developing your own brand. Strategies applicable to both private practice and non-profit organizations will be provided and explored to help attendees discover and implement the strategies learned during the presentation. Specific examples for dos and don’ts of terminology (referencing the AHA, Inc. terminology guidelines) will be provided and reviewed.
Learning objectives:
- Participants will be able to compare and contrast different social media platforms
- Participants will be able to identify audience and target content
- Participants will be able to recognize the impact of developing a brand
- Participants will be able to develop digital marketing materials utilizing correct terminology to market their practice
Presenter Disclosure
Financial: The presenters do not receive money for their presentation.
Non-Financial: Melanie Dominko-Richards & Kate Scotti are members of the AHA, Inc.
Breakout Session #10
CSU Equine Services Program Presents: Equine Stress/Behavior
Sarah Matlock, M.S., Ph.D. Candidate
An in depth look at behavioral indicators for improving welfare.
This study is aiming to identify for signs of mild stress exhibited in horses during equine-assisted services (EAS). Mild signs of stress exhibited by horses participating in EAS are often misidentified, or simply ignored. Unresolved stress can compromise the welfare of the horse and lead to undesirable behaviors during sessions. Early intervention for the treatment of mild stress could prevent further issues and improve human-handler interactions. This study hopes to provide preliminary data on the prevalence of mild stress exhibited by EAS horses during sessions at CSU’s Temple Grandin Equine Center. Using focal, one-zero sampling techniques, horses were observed for two-minute intervals and a total of 16 minutes each during occupational therapy sessions in an equine environment for approximately 10 weeks. An applied ethogram was used to code for 14 stress-related behaviors. This data is currently being analyzed. Quantifying the prevalence of mild stress-related behaviors may aid in early identification of poor welfare. The results of this study hope to inform future management and training practices that strive to reduce signs of stress in EAS horses.
Learning Objectives:
By the end of this presentation, participants will be able to:
- Describe the significance of unresolved stress and/or tension exhibited in EAS horses during services.
- Describe the pathology of stress-related behaviors in EAS horses.
- Identify mild symptoms of stress and be able to differentiate between appeasement behaviors, displacement behaviors and conflict behaviors.
- Discuss intervention strategies for minimizing stress in EAS horses.
Breakout Session Supporting Document: Presentation PDF
Presenter Disclosure
Financial: The presenter did not receive money for their presentation.
Non-Financial: Sarah Matlock is not a member of the AHA, Inc.
Breakout Session #11
CSU Equine Science/Animal Science Program Presents: Equine Nutrition
Tanja Hess MV, MSc, PhD
Therapy horses are often older and come from other careers. Nutrition and feeding of the older horse can be similar to feeding adult horses. According to the National Research Council, requirements of old horses are no different than for active horses. However, if older horses are overweight, underweight, arthritic, or have teeth problems, feeding requirements are adjusted. According to a survey, the older horse population has increased due to better knowledge on dental care and feeding methods. Older horses can be as active as younger horses and be used for work, and in these cases, requirements are based on adult working horses.
Learning Objectives:
- Understand main principles for feeding horses that are used for therapy
- Understand main principles of nutrient requirements of horses
Breakout Session Supporting Document: Presentation PDF
Presenter Disclosure
Financial: The presenter did not receive money for their presentation.
Non-Financial: Tanja Hess is not a member of the AHA, Inc.
Breakout Session #12
Best Business/Reimbursement Practices – Updates For Success
Ruth Dismuke-Blakely, MS/CCC-SLP, HPCS
The incorporation of hippotherapy as a treatment tool in occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech-language therapy continues to gain momentum throughout the United States and indeed the entire world. While a growing body of research supports its value as a treatment tool, there continues to be misconceptions about what hippotherapy is and what its true role is in a medical model therapy practice. This presentation will review AHA, Inc.’s stance on best practices for therapy services in which hippotherapy is a specialty tool. Particular attention will be given to new recommendations for both for private practice and for therapy professionals providing therapy services within existing therapeutic riding facilities, Documentation and reimbursement issues will be discussed with attention to avoiding insurance company denials and chargebacks as well as resources for practicing therapy professionals.
AHA, Inc. is dedicated to ensuring that therapy professionals who include hippotherapy as a tool within their clinical practice do so with correct information regarding business acumen, marketing, and financial success.
Learning Objective:
- Identify 5 key business components to success therapy practice incorporating hippotherapy as a specialty treatment tool.
- Identify 3 common marketing errors that jeopardize a therapy practice
- Identify 3 recommended practices for avoiding reimbursement denials or chargebacks.
Breakout Session Supporting Document: Presentation PDF
Presenter Disclosure
Financial: The presenter did not receive money for their presentation.
Non-Financial: Ruth Dismuke-Blakely is a member of the AHA, Inc.
All of the above presenters who are members of the American Hippotherapy Association, Inc., are not receiving any financial compensation for their presentations other than a complimentary registration to the conference.
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