MAXIMIZING OUTCOMES IN PATIENTS WITH COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENTS

Course overview

Patients with cognitive impairment often have difficulty with functional activities as well as learning or relearning behaviors in the clinic. Many clients are functioning below their potential, because of fear or other psychological barriers. In addition, depressed, unmotivated, apathetic and/or anxious clients often do not benefit from treatment as much as others. As you know, these patients often pose difficult challenges for therapists. In this exciting and unique 2 day course, we will learn and discuss how to increase the efficacy of our treatment with patients who have cognitive impairment, depression, or difficult personality disorders. Therapists will learn how to individualize their treatment interventions for difficult populations in this intermediate course. Therapists will also get practical ideas, tools, and strategies they will be able to immediately put into practice. If you treat patients with the following conditions then this course is for you: Alzheimers Disease Parkinsons Disease Brain injury from stroke or trauma No awareness of their impairments Depression Apathy Extreme lack of motivation Multiple Sclerosis Older adults with memory problems Patients that fall or are fearful of falling The approaches presented will be evidence-based, supported by research and will focus on improving functional independence, mobility, ADLs, and even memory ability. Videotaped clinical case studies and examples will be used to illustrate and reinforce the ideas and techniques. In this cutting edge course, participants will also learn up-to-date information about memory, aging, and dementia. They will learn how to implement evidence-based interventions to slow or even reverse memory problems. Participants will get web access to over 300 cognitive rehabilitation activities and social support interventions for community settings. Most of these activities and interventions are appropriate for people who want to be proactive in preventing memory loss as well as those who have Mild Cognitive Impairment, early stage dementia, or cognitive deficits after a stroke. Workshop participants will learn how to take advantage of preserved cognitive abilities that allow even mid-stage dementia patients to learn new skills. Finally, participants will learn how to motivate their apathetic and unmotivated residents and patients so they can take advantage of these breakthroughs. Objective Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to: Implement effective strategies that enhance functional independence in clients with cognitive impairment. They will be able to identify strategies to remove common barriers to learning. Identify psychological barriers to learning (e.g., subtypes of depression, anxiety, personality disorders, and maladaptive thinking patterns). Employ effective strategies to overcome psychological barriers to learning. Modify treatment techniques in order to allow cognitively impaired patients to learn new skills. Identify and apply effective cognitive rehabilitation strategies, especially for their geriatric and brain injured patients. Develop their own geriatric wellness and cognitive enhancement programs. Apply the use it or lose it theory of memory and aging. They will also learn: about evidence that supports this theory and how it relates to older adults. basic information about memory, why we forget, and how memory changes over the lifespan. about delirium and the different types of dementia and their common treatments. about cognitive rehabilitation and cognitive enhancement programs. how to implement a cognitive enhancement program for people of varying abilities how to motivate people to engage in programs and rehabilitation.