Dementia CEU Courses for OTs

One out of 8 people over the age of 65 have Alzheimer’s Disease in the United States today. Understanding the 7 Stages of Dementia and their impact on activities of daily living and function is imperative to any practitioner working with Elderly population. With the focus of aging in place, it is important for Occupational therapy practitioners to fully understand their role in assessment and treatment at each stage.

Many older adults with memory loss and cognitive decline want to remain in their homes. Frequently there are changes in capabilities, behaviors and subsequent frustrations which can manifest in decreased communication and activity participation as well as safety concerns and increased family/caregiver stress.

Health care professionals, families, and caregivers can help to maximize their quality of life by incorporating a person-directed plan of care. The key to effective intervention begins with understanding the subtle but meaningful changes that are being observed and how it impacts their routine, their interests, and ultimately their safety. From there, an assessment of their strengths and interests as well as the capabilities of their support system allows the development of an effective program based on meeting them where they are.

A collaborative programming model for cognitive management was implemented in 7 randomly selected skilled nursing settings across the country. The pilot study was designed to identify and overcome the barriers to this process for the patient with moderate to severe dementia.

This presentation provides an overview of executive functioning and how deficits within this cognitive domain manifest in adult clients with aphasia, cognitive-communicative disorders related to right hemisphere brain damage or traumatic brain injury, or dementia. Recently published procedures for assessing and treating executive dysfunction in adult clients with acquired neurogenic communication disorders are also discussed.