Cardiopulmonary Comorbidities in the Older Adult - SOD

Course overview

The cardiopulmonary comorbidities that are present in the geriatric population greatly impact how health care professionals should treat these patients, including assessment, interventions, and recommendations. In order to have an in-depth understanding of geriatric cardiopulmonary pathologies, the health care professional must also have an understanding of the cardiopulmonary anatomy, the normal aging process, and how to differentiate normal aging from pathology. This course reviews all of these areas and discusses the most common cardiopulmonary pathologies seen in the geriatric population. The proper techniques to monitor vital signs, the use of functional assessments and treatment interventions are all explored. In addition, cardiopulmonary medications are reviewed so that the rehab professional can gain an understanding of the specific classes of drugs used for the pathologies discussed, their side effects and potential impact on rehab.