2-Day Certification Conference-Alzheimer’s, Dementias and Geriatric Mental Health Conditions – Micheal Shafer

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No matter the discipline, very few providers have received adequate training on safely and effectively meeting the complex mental and behavioral health needs of older adults.

Don’t be caught unprepared!

Whether you’re a social worker, psychologist, counselor, nurse, OT, PT, SLP, or Long-Term Care professional, this training is exactly what you need to ensure proper care for geriatric patients facing Alzheimer’s, other dementias, depression, anxiety, trauma, substance use issues, and suicidal ideation. More than a broad overview, this training will give you specific strategies and interventions tailored to older adults.

Over 2 intensive days of specialized training you’ll receive:

• Cognitive assessment tools and interpretation tips
• Practical solutions to challenging behaviors in dementia patients
• Detailed guidance on recognizing the warning signs of suicidal behavior in older adults
• Adaptive solutions to treat late life depression, anxiety, trauma and drug use
• Tips and tactics for successfully working with families

Purchase today and leave feeling prepared and confident in your ability to overcome the most challenging complexities of working with geriatric patients as a Certified Dementia Care Specialist (CDCS)!

1. Investigate how psychosocial changes, life role transitions, and the unique stressors of late life can impact the mental health of older adults.
2. Evaluate how changes in the function of the aging brain and body impact the mental health of older adults.
3. Investigate how an aging metabolism’s ability to process pharmacological treatments creates unique safety concerns with geriatric patients.
4. Distinguish between types of dementia and connect this information to prognosis.
5. Differentiate between the Mini-Mental State Examination and SLUMS as cognitive assessment tools.
6. Support how understanding the potential causes of delusions and hallucinations in dementia patients can help professional caregivers reduce the risks of dangerous complications.
7. Assess for pain in dementia patients by understanding behavioral cues such as restlessness and agitation.
8. Investigate the complexity of suicidal behavior in older adults and use this information to improve your ability to identify the warning signs.
9. Evaluate how medical issues can contribute to late-life anxiety and investigate evidenced-based psychological treatments that can help patients reduce symptomology.
10. Appraise how psychological trauma can manifest as somatic complaints and determine how this impacts trauma assessment in elderly patients.
11. Employ adaptive exercise solutions for physically challenged patients as a late-life depression intervention.
12. Investigate why substance abuse in elder patients is often overlooked and use simple assessment instruments to help identify it.

DAY 1
Dementia Differentiation, Diagnosis and Prognosis

• Types of dementia and how to differentiate between them
• Pseudo-dementia explanations
• Mild Neuro-Cognitive Disorder
• Diagnosis, prognosis, and stages
• The latest preventative treatments

Cognitive Assessment Essentials

• Mini-Mental State Examination
• SLUMS
• Administration and scoring
• Objective and subjective interpretation

Challenging Behavior Toolbox:
Trigger Identification, Problem Solving, and Compassionate Intervention Strategies

• Individualizing care – strengths and limitations
• Pain and pain assessment
• Tactics for verbal and physical combativeness
• Agitation – triggers, pain and care planning
• Delusions and hallucinations — potential causes and complications
• Wandering – redirection techniques to reduce risks
• Tips for working with sundowners
• Sexual expressiveness and interventions for dignity
• Activities of Daily Living – structure and engagement strategies

Verbal and Non-Verbal Strategies for Communication:
Reduce Frustration and Increase Understanding with Dementia Patients

• When traditional communication is replaced by behaviors
• Person centered: Gathering beliefs and values
• Effective tips for communicating with dementia patients
  • Find the meaning behind the gesture
  • How to avoid arguments
  • What questions to ask, and how to ask them
• Meaningful activities that connect

Tips and Tactics for Successfully Working with Caregivers

• Family dynamics
• Validation, empathy and active listening
• Caregiver burnout and where to go for help
• End of life issues
• Ethical issues and abuse

DAY 2
How Aging Impacts Mental Health

• The aging brain, body and unique stressors of late life
• Social systems, stigma and life role transitions
• How medical illness impacts mental health

Geriatric Pharmacology:
Essential Considerations for Safety and Effectiveness

• The senior metabolism and unique safety concerns
• Common side effect of drugs on seniors
• Interactive effects to be aware of

Late-Life Depression:
Assessment and Interventions

• Assessment strategies for late-life depression
• The role of social support
• Working with grief and loss
• Cognitive approaches to focus on today’s problems
• Adaptive exercise solutions for the physically challenged

Suicide in Older Adults:
How to Recognize the Warning Signs and Properly Intervene

• The complexity of suicidal behavior in older adults
• Assessment and screening tools
• Treatment approaches and crisis guidance

Alcohol and Drug Use in the Elderly

• Unique vulnerabilities and diagnostic difficulties
• Assessment instruments
• Motivational Interviewing and relapse prevention strategies

Late-Life Anxiety:
Identification and Treatment Strategies Adapted to Older Adults

• Risk factors, stressors and symptoms
• Loss of social support and fear of being alone
• Medical issues and hypochondria
• Evidence-based psychological treatments

Trauma-Informed Treatment of Older Adults

• What the latest research tells us – and what it doesn’t
• Special considerations when assessing seniors for trauma
• Trauma and somatic complaints

The Role of Nutrition in Geriatric Behavioral Problems

• How vitamin and mineral deficiencies impact behavior
• How the volatility of blood sugar can impact behavior
• Strategies for non-compliant eating