Volume 1, Issue 2
English version
Published by Vida Bella Services, LLC
Livin’ La Vida Bella
Spring/Summer 2014
Every life is beautiful.
Upcoming Dates of Interest Charleston Walk for Autism
5/3/14
Children’s Museum of the Lowcountry Fam Jam Festival
5/3/14
Family Connections Hispanic Outreach Father’s Day at Wannamaker Park
6/21/14
MUSC OT Maralynne D. Mitcham Lectureship and Alumni Luncheon
7/18/14
Surfer’s Healing at Folly Beach
8/20/14
Family Fun on a Budget
Check out these low or no cost ideas in Charleston: North Charleston Riverfront Park—Fountain and Playground (Free) Wannamaker Park, Palmetto Islands County Park, and James Island County Park,— Playgrounds, Sprinklers, and Dog Parks ($1/person at the gate) Northwoods and Citadel Mall Indoor Playgrounds (Free) Waterfront Park, Downtown (Free) Your local library (Free)
Reflections on Independence Independence. We celebrate it each July. We teach our children, train employees, and develop complex personal action plans and goals with hopes of increasing independence. In various types of therapy, we create comprehensive treatment plans to promote independence at the start of the therapy process. Then, we literally track progress using a “Functional Independence Measure” scale in most therapeutic settings. Therapy services are no longer needed when a patient achieves age-appropriate independence across targeted skills and areas of life.
Independence is something that we tend to take for granted until we lose it in some capacity. Our health, our social structures, our financial supports, our personal freedoms and liberties each contribute to this concept of independence. It is a simple concept with intricate and unique complexities—different
in meaning and modality for every individual. This Independence Day, take the time to reflect on the multiple features of independence as well as the factors—and often individuals—who support it. —Cristina Reyes Smith OTD, OTR/L Owner/Lead Occupational Therapist
Welcome to Francesca Best, BS We are pleased to announce the addition of Francesca Best to our team as Communication Specialist. In this role, she oversees communication with health insurance companies and pediatric clinics. Francesca is a recent graduate of the Language and International Health pro-
gram at Clemson University where she focused on Health Administration and Spanish. She also minored in Communication Studies. As a student, she completed an internship at a center for malnourished children in Chile for 1 month. She is originally from and now lives in Hanahan, SC.
Francesca (right) with sister Alisha and nephew Aidan
Vida Bella Services, LLC
At Vida Bella Services, LLC, we believe that every life is a beautiful life
1303 Windover Run Hanahan, SC 29410 Phone: 843-814-7917 Fax: 855-362-2736 E-mail: info@vidabellaservices.com
that can grow, thrive, and prosper. We provide services to support individuals, groups, and communities to participate fully in life and to promote health, wellness, and well-being through client-centered and innovative programs and services. Serving children and adults with:
Find resources for families and professionals including Spanish language videos and more on our website at www.vidabellaservices.com
Summer Group Programs
Vida Bella Services, LLC is providing an exciting “Yogarilla” summer program at the Charleston Autism Academy. This program incorporates yoga movements and activities to promote fine motor, gross motor, sensory processing, and handwriting skills for children with special needs through fun, child-centered activities. The group is led by our Occupational Therapy Assistant Laura Glover. For more information about the Charleston Autism Academy, please visit their website at: www.charlestonautismacademy.com
Document Translation Did you know that Vida Bella Services, LLC offers general and medical Spanish translation services? Rates are affordable at $12 per page, and all translation services are completed by an experienced medical translator. Convenient HIPAA compliant email is available to protect patient confidentiality during the document development process. Vida Bella Services, LLC also provides all patient documents in Spanish including policies and agreements, annual evaluations, quarterly progress reports, and home programs. For more information, call (843) 814-7917 or email us at info@vidabellaservices.com
Autism Spectrum Disorders
Behavioral & Conduct Disorders
Cerebral Palsy and other neuromuscular disorders
Down Syndrome and other genetic disorders
Epilepsy and other seizure disorders
Handwriting dysfunction
Feeding and eating disorders
Learning disabilities
Motor dyspraxia/in-coordination
Obesity/weight difficulties
Sensory Processing Disorders
Social difficulties
In the Community: CML FamJam Festival
Vida Bella Services was proud to participate as a Wellness Partner at the recent FAM JAM Festival at Marion Square Park sponsored by the Children’s Museum of the Lowcountry! Our Occupational Therapy Assistant Laura Glover provided a dynamic “Yoga for Kids” Demonstration as part of this event. Through this demo, she showed the children poses from the Yogarilla program such as “camel”, “surfer”, and “alligator”.
Vida Bella also teamed up with the Family Connections Hispanic Outreach to provide a Salsa for Kids Dance Demonstration. This demo was performed in the style of the Alegria Dance Program
Laura and Cristina at the VBS Wellness Partners Table
with a focus on movement, family interaction, and health education. Lastly, we raffled off exciting prizes such as a piñata, $20 Target gift card, and items from Bath & Body Works. FAM JAM is an event which celebrates play, fun-filled activities, and healthy living for children and their families. Families also receive FREE access to festival activities and games and FREE admission to the Children’s Museum of the Lowcountry all day. Check out the event website for more information: www.explorecml.org /