This volume contains the edited proceedings of the Working Conference on the Transfer and Diffusion of IT for Organizational Resilience, sponsored by the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) Working Group 8.6 (Transfer and Diffusion of Information Technology), and held in Galway, Ireland in June of 2006. The material contained in this book represents current thinking on the topic of resilience by academics and leading practitioners.

This volume contains the edited proceedings of the Working Conference on the Transfer and Diffusion of IT for Organizational Resilience, sponsored by the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) Working Group 8.6 (Transfer and Diffusion of Information Technology), and held in Galway, Ireland in June of 2006. The material contained in this book represents current thinking on the topic of resilience by academics and leading practitioners.

The brain-stimulating approach known as Therapeutic Thematic Arts Programming (TTAP) has a proven record of improving the lives of people with dementia by increasing their engagement and functioning. In Transforming Dementia through Therapeutic Thematic Arts Programming: A New Psychology of Art, the Brain, and Cognition you now have all the tools and instructions for putting this innovative and life-affirming approach to work in your own care setting. You too can successfully enervate the minds and hearts of people living with this challenging cognitive disease. Participation in the creative arts has been shown to promote cell growth that enhances the brain's ability to learn and recall new information, create new ideas, and make new connections. Using 12 separate forms of creative expression - ranging from sculpture and painting to physical movement and mental imagery - TTAP builds on themes in an integrative way that helps each individual with dementia draw upon memories, feelings, and intellectual reserves that promote positive self-regard and active social participation. Sample activity protocols guide you through the process of engagement to help you quickly master the steps. Activities using the TTAP method can provide: -significant stimulation and integration of multiple brain regions -enjoyment, engagement, creativity, relaxation, and a sense of purpose for people with even advanced dementia -an easy-to-follow framework that allows infinite variations on themes and personal interests -complete documentation for tracking and evaluation -opportunities for one-on-one or group programming By blending the principles of art and therapeutic recreation with the latest findings in brain research, Transforming Dementia through Therapeutic Thematic Arts Programming presents an exciting new psychological taxonomy that captures the dynamic interplay between brain functioning and expressive and emotional stimulation. 2013 National Mature Media Award (Merit Award Winner)

Whether working in urban areas with high levels of cultural diversity, providing art therapy to 'unique' populations such as prisoners or asylum seekers, or introducing art therapy programs to parts of the world in which it is not yet established, it is essential that therapists understand the importance of practicing in a culturally sensitive manner. This comprehensive book considers how culture impacts the practice of art therapy in a variety of settings. With contributions from experienced art therapists who have worked in diverse environments, this book attempts to understand and highlight the specific cultural, subcultural and ethnic influences that inform art therapy treatment. It addresses variable factors including setting, population, environment and ability, and how they influence art therapy approaches. It also considers how cultural differences can impact physical art making through choices of color, symbol and metaphor. Each chapter provides a framework showing how art therapy techniques have been used in order to successfully work with distinct populations. This book will provide practitioners with ideas for how to adapt art therapy training and approaches to suit the setting and meet the needs of a vast range of populations. Full of informative case studies, this book will be invaluable reading for art therapists and students of art therapy.

Congress has tried to make higher education more affordable by providing favourable tax treatment to savings accumulated in qualified tuition programs (QTPs), also called Section 529 programs after their citation in the Internal Revenue Code. QTPs initially allowed individuals to save for qualified higher education expenses(QHEEs) on a tax-deferred basis. The Pension Protection Act of 2006 (PPA) made permanent the temporary enhancements to QTPs contained in the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001. The enhancements include making qualified withdrawals from QTPs tax-free. One type of QTP, prepaid tuition plans, enables account owners to make payments on behalf of student beneficiaries for a specified number of academic periods/course units at current prices thereby providing a hedge against tuition inflation. States were the only sponsors of prepaid plans until Congress extended sponsorship to eligible higher education (private) institutions effective in 2002. States remain the sole sponsor of the more popular type of Section 529 program, college savings plans, which account for most of the $105.7 billion in QTP assets as of December 31, 2006. College savings plans can be used toward a variety of QHEEs at any eligible institution regardless of which state sponsors the plan or where the beneficiary attends school. In contrast, if beneficiaries of state-sponsored prepaid plans attend out-of-state or private schools, the programs typically pay the same tuition that would have been paid to an eligible in-state public school. Also unlike prepaid plans, in which the state plan invests the pooled contributions with the intent of at least matching tuition inflation, college savings account owners can select from a range of investment portfolios. College savings plans thus offer the chance of greater returns than prepaid plans, but they also could prove more risky. Additionally, college savings plans charge fees (e.g., enrolment fees and underlying mutual fund fees) that lower returns -- more so for accounts opened through investment advisors (e.g., sales charges). The level of these fees vis-a-vis the tax savings, the extent and manner of fee disclosure across plans, and the role of federal regulators in this area was the subject of oversight during the 108th Congress. (More recently, the 109th Congress included in the PPA enactment of Section 529(f). It charges the Secretary of the Treasury with developing regulations to prevent abuse of Section 529 and to carry out its purposes in general. The Internal Revenue Service currently is developing a notice of proposed rule making, which will include portions of the 1998 proposed regulation and anti-abuse rules.) Both types of Section 529 programs have several features in common beyond qualified withdrawals being tax-free. Earnings not applied toward QHEEs (eg: the beneficiary forgoes college) generally are taxable and subject to a penalty. The tax and penalty can be avoided if account owners designate a new beneficiary who is an eligible relative of the original beneficiary. Account owners, rather than beneficiaries, maintain control over the funds. Contributions are not deductible on federal tax returns.

Using a thematic approach to activity programming, this illuminating book teaches activity staff and recreation therapy students how to maximize cognition and brain functioning to improve the day-to-day performance of both well elders and those facing illness or disability. The author's Therapeutic Thematic Arts Programming method transforms activity planning from an episodic approach (isolated activities) to a continuum of related events using varying expressive forms: the visual arts, language, music and drama. Readers learn how to use these expressive arts in a dynamic, integrated way that will renew the hearts, minds and spirits of older people whose declining physical or mental health increasingly limits their experiences and interactions. Emphasis is placed on programming that is inexpensive and easily adapted for people at various levels of functioning.

Using a thematic approach to activity programming, this illuminating book teaches activity staff and recreation therapy students how to maximize cognition and brain functioning to improve the day-to-day performance of both well elders and those facing illness or disability. The author's Therapeutic Thematic Arts Programming method transforms activity planning from an episodic approach (isolated activities) to a continuum of related events using varying expressive forms: the visual arts, language, music and drama. Readers learn how to use these expressive arts in a dynamic, integrated way that will renew the hearts, minds and spirits of older people whose declining physical or mental health increasingly limits their experiences and interactions. Emphasis is placed on programming that is inexpensive and easily adapted for people at various levels of functioning.