The Aging Brain

Course #66683 -

Overview

It has become increasingly the responsibility of the psychologist to be an early responder for patients with dementia and their family members, as many senior patients are seeking the counsel of therapists in greater numbers than has ever been the case in history. This change is partly due to the increasing population of aged individuals and their willingness to seek assistance outside of their usual source of help: their family physician. With the healthcare industry changing, psychologists would very well find themselves to be the primary source of consultation for senior patient as the concept of the family or personal physician is rapidly fading.

Education Category: Psychiatric / Mental Health
Release Date: 04/01/2021
Expiration Date: 03/31/2024

Table of Contents

Audience

This introductory course is designed for psychologists involved in the care of elderly individuals.

Accreditations & Approvals

Continuing Education (CE) credits for psychologists are provided through the co-sponsorship of the American Psychological Association (APA) Office of Continuing Education in Psychology (CEP). The APA CEP Office maintains responsibility for the content of the programs.

Designations of Credit

NetCE designates this continuing education activity for 5 credit(s).

Course Objective

The purpose of this course is to assist psychologists to better respond, treat, and care for senior patients, particularly those who are experiencing some level of dementia.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this course, you should be able to:

  1. Describe the function and structure of a normally aging human brain.
  2. Identify early signs of mild cognitive impairment and dementia and differentiate between dementia and conditions that mimic dementia in the elderly patient.
  3. Describe Alzheimer disease and dementia with Lewy bodies and the conditions and factors that contribute to each.
  4. Describe risk factors for the development of dementia using various theoretic models.
  5. Outline diagnostic tools and considerations useful in the assessment of patients with dementia.
  6. Discuss key points in the management of Alzheimer disease.
  7. Discuss common problems that patients with dementia experience and steps healthcare professionals can take to monitor and facilitate the safety and welfare of these patients.

Faculty

Allan G. Hedberg, PhD, received his Master's in psychology from Northern Illinois University and his PhD in clinical psychology from Queen's University in Ontario, Canada. He has practiced clinical psychology in mental health centers, hospitals, and rehabilitation units as well as in private practice since 1969. More recently, he has maintained an active consultation service to patients and staff of nursing homes and assisted living facilities in the Central Valley of California. Over this time, Dr. Hedberg has consulted with staff, trained staff, and assisted in the establishment of appropriate programs for elderly patients with special needs, such as Alzheimer's disease.

Faculty Disclosure

Contributing faculty, Allan G. Hedberg, PhD, has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.

Division Planner

James Trent, PhD

Division Planner Disclosure

The division planner has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.

Director of Development and Academic Affairs

Sarah Campbell

Director Disclosure Statement

The Director of Development and Academic Affairs has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.

About the Sponsor

The purpose of NetCE is to provide challenging curricula to assist healthcare professionals to raise their levels of expertise while fulfilling their continuing education requirements, thereby improving the quality of healthcare.

Our contributing faculty members have taken care to ensure that the information and recommendations are accurate and compatible with the standards generally accepted at the time of publication. The publisher disclaims any liability, loss or damage incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents. Participants are cautioned about the potential risk of using limited knowledge when integrating new techniques into practice.

Disclosure Statement

It is the policy of NetCE not to accept commercial support. Furthermore, commercial interests are prohibited from distributing or providing access to this activity to learners.

Technical Requirements

Supported browsers for Windows include Microsoft Internet Explorer 9.0 and up, Mozilla Firefox 3.0 and up, Opera 9.0 and up, and Google Chrome. Supported browsers for Macintosh include Safari, Mozilla Firefox 3.0 and up, Opera 9.0 and up, and Google Chrome. Other operating systems and browsers that include complete implementations of ECMAScript edition 3 and CSS 2.0 may work, but are not supported. Supported browsers must utilize the TLS encryption protocol v1.1 or v1.2 in order to connect to pages that require a secured HTTPS connection. TLS v1.0 is not supported.

Implicit Bias in Health Care

The role of implicit biases on healthcare outcomes has become a concern, as there is some evidence that implicit biases contribute to health disparities, professionals' attitudes toward and interactions with patients, quality of care, diagnoses, and treatment decisions. This may produce differences in help-seeking, diagnoses, and ultimately treatments and interventions. Implicit biases may also unwittingly produce professional behaviors, attitudes, and interactions that reduce patients' trust and comfort with their provider, leading to earlier termination of visits and/or reduced adherence and follow-up. Disadvantaged groups are marginalized in the healthcare system and vulnerable on multiple levels; health professionals' implicit biases can further exacerbate these existing disadvantages.

Interventions or strategies designed to reduce implicit bias may be categorized as change-based or control-based. Change-based interventions focus on reducing or changing cognitive associations underlying implicit biases. These interventions might include challenging stereotypes. Conversely, control-based interventions involve reducing the effects of the implicit bias on the individual's behaviors. These strategies include increasing awareness of biased thoughts and responses. The two types of interventions are not mutually exclusive and may be used synergistically.