The Aging Brain: Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias: 2-Day Comprehensive Training Course – Roy D. Steinberg

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Older adults with dementia and other mental health issues interact with a variety of professionals including nursing staff, psychologists, counselors, social workers, OTs, PTs, SLPs, home health aides, adult day center staff, and first responders. Still, many haven’t had extensive training on the complexities that make working with this population so challenging.

Without appropriate training, safety risks grow and opportunities to improve care and quality of life are missed.

This 2-day comprehensive recording is a must-have for anyone working with older adult patients facing Alzheimer’s Disease, other dementias, and mental health issues like anxiety and depression. You’ll discover how you can assess for and differentiate between different types of dementias, maximize daily functioning, better work with significant mental health issues like anxiety, depression and substance use in older patients, and safely and effectively intervene when difficult behaviors arise.

No matter your profession, you can’t afford to miss this chance to get the skills, tactics, and knowledge you need to provide the best care possible!

1. Assess the impact of dementia on brain structure and function.
2. Determine the difference between “normal forgetfulness” and cognitive impairment.
3. Discriminate Alzheimer’s Disease from other dementias by identifying manifestations of each type.
4. Articulate the differences between the Folstein Mini-Mental Status examination, SLUMS and MOCA as screening measuring tools for cognitive impairment and dementia.
5. Communicate how difficult questions from family members can be answered with confidence and sensitivity.
6. Establish how clinicians can effectively intervene in delusions, resisting care and combativeness.
7. Articulate how clinical interventions can be adapted to provide patients with individualized care and promote more effective participation in therapy.
8. Correlate patients’ strengths and limitations to potential therapeutic approaches for older adults.
9. Specify how professionals can work in partnership with families to improve care.
10. Investigate the concept of caregiver guilt and its implications for the client, clinicians, and those caring for older adults with dementia.
11. Explore how end of life and elder abuse issues inform decisions regarding patient responsibility and documentation.
12. Characterize how to differentiate dementia from depression despite similar clinical manifestations.

DAY ONE

Brain Topography, Function, and “Normal Aging”

• Temporal Lobe
• Frontal Lobe
• Parietal Lobe
• Occipital Lobe
• Impact of dementia on brain structure and functioning
• How we view the patient – compassion and sensitivity in your work

Cognitive Disorder and “Forgetfulness”

• ”Normal aging” and ageism
• Transient Cognitive Decline
• Pre-cursor to dementia
• Mild Neuro-Cognitive Disorder

Clearly Understand Diagnosis for Alzheimer’s Disease and Differentiate it from Other Dementias

• Alzheimer’s
• Vascular
• Parkinson’s
• Lewy Body
• Frontotemporal
• Potentially reversible conditions
• Wernicke-Korsakoff

Easy-to-Use Cognitive Assessment Tools

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

The Latest Medications and Preventative Treatments

• Current medications
• Early and Mid-stage Alzheimer’s
• Mid and Late-stage Alzheimer’s
• Preventative treatments
• Alternate interventions

DAY TWO

Mental Health Evaluation

• Depression
  • Major Depression
  • Persistent Depressive Disorder
  • Adjustment Disorder
  • Grief
• Anxiety
• Schizophrenia
• Bipolar Disorder
• Alcohol Abuse
• Differentiate dementia and depression
• Practical applications

Mental Health Interventions

• Therapy modalities
• Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
• Music Therapy
• Art Therapy
• Pet Therapy
• Garden Therapy

Difficult Behaviors Related to Dementia: Triggers and Effective Intervention Techniques

• Goals and general concepts
• Individualizing care – strengths and limitations
• Depression
• Delusions and hallucinations
• Potential causes and complications
• Agitation/restlessness – triggers and care planning
• Activities of Daily Living – structure and engagement strategies
• Tactics for verbal and physical combativeness
• Elopement – reduce risks and action steps
• Adapting as the disease progresses

Sexual Intimacy in the Elderly

• Sexual manifestations and expression
• Dementia and marital sex
• Assessment tools for ability to consent
• Sexual expressiveness and interventions for dignity

Working with Caregivers: Family as Members of the Care Team

• The most common questions from family
• Family dynamics
• Normalizing change
• Anticipatory grief counseling
• Caregiver self-assessment scale
• Caregiver stress, depression and guilt – coping mechanisms
• Coping for the clinician

Ethics

• End of life issues
• Responsibility to patient
• Power of Attorney
• Caregiver stress, depression and guilt – coping mechanisms
• Documentation