Mastering Dementia Care (Valentino)

Course overview

According to the World Health Organization (WHO, 2020), Alzheimer's disease and related dementias are the number two cause of death in high-income countries and close to 10 million new cases are diagnosed annually worldwide. This has several implications for rehabilitation clinicians with one of the most significant being the likelihood of dementia as a comorbidity in geriatric clients. Having a thorough understanding of the functional mobility, communication, and cognitive factors that will impact clinical approaches to care will be vital for practitioners as they develop client-centered care plans for patients who are experiencing dementia symptoms. This course aims to broaden the clinician's knowledge base of the various types of dementia, their unique characteristics, and examine current best-practice approaches for assessments tailored to patients with a diagnosis of dementia. Using case study examples, in-depth differentiation of dementia types, and a hands-on lab for assessment application, clinicians will be able to walk away from this course with improved next-day confidence to meet these unique clients' needs.