ASSESSMENT, EVIDENCE BASED PRACTICE AND REIMBURSEMENT FOR THE DEMENTIA PATIENT - SOD OT

Course overview

This course offers valid and necessary tools for the Speech Language Pathologists and Occupational Therapists who work with the geriatric population. They may work in a variety of settings, ranging from Skilled Nursing Facilities to Home Health, but their knowledge of how to assess, treat and submit documentation for the dementia patient is critical. The treatment itself may be for a variety of functional declines, ranging from swallowing/eating abilities to an understanding of safety or the ability to communicate. But the dementia component has a direct effect on all treatment outcomes. Knowing the facts and being equipped with the right tools is significant to being able to achieve the desired functional outcomes. The prevalence of Dementia in the healthcare setting will be discussed, to include its influence on other communication and swallowing disorders that are being addressed through skilled intervention. This course provides an overview of the types of dementia, and also presents the most recent staging levels of dementia, with definitions for descriptive and clinical purposes. This review is significant to serve as a guide for differentiating the needs of the individual patient, as well as to determine the most applicable assessment and treatment for the unique patient¿s needs. The focus is then placed on the standardized tests available for the assessment of the dementia patient. These tests are developed specifically for collecting objective and subjective measurements, given the dementia resident¿s obstacles. The descriptive components of each test will be shared.