Canadian League of Functional Therapists

Functional Therapy, OT for the 21st Century and Beyond.

Canadian League of Functional Therapists

From its conception it was expected that this would be a American Canadian joint venture. Ed Kaine, the President of ALOFT, is a graduate of the University of Alberta with Degrees in Science and in Occupational Therapy.

In 1995, Ed wrote articles suggesting the name change might make the field more accessible to the general public. The success of OT thus far is largely a result of the tremendous skills and talents of the many individual therapists and their collective efforts. The many numbers makes a top down name change seem insurmountable. Instead we formed a member organization that regulates the collective trademark for “Registered Functional Therapist RFT”^TM. This is in the process of being registered with both the USPTO (US Patent and Trademarks Office) and CIPO (the Canadian Intellectual Property Office with Industry Canada).

We know that the word “Functional” may not be the perfect word for all the tremendous things you do. I look forward to expanding peoples ideas about function with all of you. As we’ve popularized our ideas some of the best ones have really helped shape health care. For instance, Physical Therapists now routinely write “Functional Goals”, this is a great step. Imagine when we reclaim our rightful leadership of this and help expand the conversation beyond just what a body can do physically but how the whole of healthcare could benefit from a deeper understanding of the COPM (Canadian Occupational Performance Model). We have the opportunity to really make a difference.

We were discussing the education process and how, while we were in it we didn’t realize all the personal changes we were going through. Now, when we speak with other therapists we have this shared shift in our understanding of humanity. I was this subtle transformation that makes OTs some of the most interesting people you may ever meet. We share this understanding and it may sometimes be hard to realize that most people can’t see the world the way we do. That is why it’s important for us to make a move towards the general public by embracing a new name, essentially repackaging and rebranding our tremendous services. While many in our own families cannot understand the awesome scope of OT maybe we can take that step towards them and use Functional Therapy.

I hope you’ll join us on this tremendous adventure.

Ed Kaine,

President of the League of Functional Therapists

The future of Canada’s Healthcare may revolve around the role of Registered Functional Therapists. Just imagine if were understood by our names and sought after for our talents and skills.

The 21st century may be greatly shaped by the innovations and models of Functional Therapists.