Physicourses Geriatrics

ACSM Guidelines for Exercise for Special Populations

Julie Barnett, PT, DPT, MTC

Prescribing exercise safely under the American College ofSports Medicine (ACSM) guidelines is very important for special populations. Individuals recovering from COVID-19 will require specialized exercise guidance using our backgrounds as therapists in exercise and pathology to make the best evidenced-based recommendations for their health. The 50,000 ACSM professionals in sports medicine and exercise science fields share a common purpose – advance health through science, education, and medicine. The details are important. Guidelines and realistic goals can motivate and guide your treatments for your patients to reach their activity goals. This course will guide you through theACSM guidelines and criteria for special populations. Participants will review the most impactful exercise prescriptions and outcomes instruments to measure physical activity. After the completion of this course, therapists will be better equipped to confidently treat special populations with positive outcomes.Highlights ACSM purpose for exercise guidelines and the criteria for special populations Effectively incorporate more exercise into your treatments Best practices for outcome instruments to use when measuring physical activity Review popular wearable tracking devices to assist in motivating patients

Exercise in Geriatric Rehabilitation

Nicole Dawson, PT, PhD, GCS

The latest practice analysis identifies over 53% of rehabilitation patients are over the age of 65 years. Many of these older adults have functional limitations due to the fact that older adults are generally less physically active than their younger counterparts or due to difficulties returning to normal function following illness or injury. Exercise is a non- pharmacological intervention that can have beneficial effects on multiple domains of function. However, the application of exercise by health care professionals is often under-dosed leading to minimal changes in this patient population. Older adults can pose unique challenges for clinicians due to their sedentary lifestyle and potential for complex medical history. Rehabilitation professionals are experts in movement science and should play an integral role in prescription of appropriate physical activity to ensure maximal levels of success with older adults, so we need to do better for this new majority of patients. This course will provide you with a better understanding of primary aging processes that may affect an older adult's functional status. An evidence-based approach for exercise prescription will be discussed to ensure that exercise science principles are used during plan of care development.Highlights Practical application of exercise prescription in older adults that you can use the next day Effective, evidence-based interventions to ensure positive outcomes in older adults

Assessment and Treatment Strategies for Dementia, Delirium, and Depression

Toni Patt, PT, DPT, GCS, NCS

One in four patients admitted to an acute care hospital have dementia. Delirium superimposed on those patients accounts for 65% of cases diagnosed with delirium. Thirty percent of all older adults have a diagnosis of depression at any given time. These diagnoses frequently occur together and often are mistaken for one another. Therapists working with older adults will treat patients with these diagnoses more often than one would think, so it is important they be prepared to properly assess patients with one or more of these issues to optimize treatment planning. This course will examine each diagnosis, discuss the similarities and differences of the three, and provide guidelines for treatments.Highlights Distinguish between dementia, delirium and depression when occur simultaneously in patients Treatment plans that incorporate the components of each process to improve outcomes Communication strategies for patients with impaired cognition

Caring for Dementia Patients

Anysia Ensslen-Boggs, Ed.D., M.S., CCC-SLP

Dementia is a broad term for a decline in mental ability that is significant enough to interfere with a person's daily life. Over 5 million Americans are living with dementia; someone in the United States develops Alzheimer's disease every 65seconds. This number is expected to double by 2030, and triple by 2050. Since there is no cure for dementia, this disease results in a progressive decline of cognitive and functional skills. Many individuals with dementia also experience behavioral changes, decreased safety awareness, difficulty eating/swallowing, and decreased independence completing activities of daily living (ADLs). This course is designed for therapists and healthcare professionals so that they may improve outcomes, safety, and quality of life for individuals and their caregivers living with dementia. This course will teach functional and evidence-based techniques, interventions, and education/training strategies. Participants will learn about assessments and screening tools which may be used at all stages of progressive cognitive decline, and how to use those tools to develop individualized treatment plans. Emphasis will be placed on interdisciplinary treatment, documentation challenges, improving patient safety, and caregiver education.Highlights Improve your knowledge of the physical and cognitive implications of dementia in order to more effectively implement evidence-based treatment approaches Use evidence-based treatment approaches to increase participation in d...

Stroke Rehab in the Home and Outpatient Settings

Mary Vanesko MOT, OTR/L, CIMI, CPY and Katie O'Shea, PT, DPT, MBA, GCS, CDP

According to the CDC, stroke causes 1 of every 20 deaths in the United States, killing nearly 130,000 Americans each year. Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in theUnited States. Despite the increase in technology, physical and occupational therapists are frequently called upon to collaboratively plan for post-acute care services. This course will focus on discipline-specific interventions in the inpatient home and outpatient setting as well as collaborative interdisciplinary approach to care, while minimizing duplication services. This course is aimed to provide a systematic approach to understanding the home and outpatient examination and implementation of plan of care for the patient who has suffered from a stroke. The attendees will take home specific strategies to provide comprehensive evaluations and focus on functional outcomes. Through interdisciplinary discussion and real-life case studies, attendees will make insightful and accurate recommendations for the next level of care.Highlights Implement an effective evaluation and treatment for the stroke patient in the home or out-patient setting Safely apply individualized interdisciplinary assessment and intervention in the home and outpatient setting with patients who have suffered from a strokeEffective recommendations for discharge plans from the home and outpatient settings, and referral to community services

Stroke Rehab in the Inpatient Rehabilitation Setting

Mary Vanesko, MOT, OTR/L, CIMI, CPY`s Katie O'Shea, PT, DPT, MBA, GCS, CDP

According to the CDC, stroke causes 1 of every 20 deaths in the United States, killing nearly 130,000 Americans each year. Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in theUnited States. Despite the in-crease in technology, physical and occupational therapists are frequently called upon to collaboratively plan for post-acute care services. This course will focus on discipline-specific interventions in the inpatient rehab setting as well as collaborative interdisciplinary approaches to care, while minimizing duplication services. The goal for this course is to provide a systematic approach to understanding the inpatient rehab examination and implementation of POC for the patient who has suffered from a stroke. Attendees will take home specific strategies to provide comprehensive evaluations and focus on functional outcomes. Through interdisciplinary discussion and real-life case studies, attendees will make insightful and accurate recommendations for the next level of care.Highlights Implementing an effective evaluation and treatment for the patient by fully understanding the impact of stroke pathology in the rehab setting Safely apply individualized interdisciplinary assessment and intervention in the rehab setting with patients who have suffered from a stroke Promote safe and effective disposition recommendations and discharge plans from the post-acute setting in complicated cases

Stroke Rehab in the Acute Care Setting

According to the CDC, stroke causes 1 of every 20 deaths in the United States, killing nearly 130,000 Americans each year. Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in theUnited States. Despite the increase in technology, physical and occupational therapists are frequently called upon to collaboratively plan for post-acute care services. This course will focus on discipline-specific interventions in the acute caresetting as well as collaborative interdisciplinary approach to care, while minimizing duplication of services. This course is aimed to provide a systematic approach to understanding the acute care examination and implementation of POC for the patient who has suffered from a stroke. The attendees will take home specific strategies to provide comprehensive evaluations and focus on functional outcomes. Through interdisciplinary discussion and real-life case studies, attendees will make insightful and accurate recommendations for the next level of care.Highlights Pathology of different types of strokes to implement an effective evaluation and treatment for the patientSafely apply individualized interdisciplinary assessment and intervention in the acute care setting with patients who have suffered from a stroke Promote safe and effective disposition recommendations and discharge plans from the acute care setting in complicated cases

Effective Rehabilitation Approaches for Patients with Parkinson's Disease

Naseem Chatiwala, PT, DPT, MS, NCS

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease in the world with approximately 930,000 people living with it in the United States. Patients with Parkinson's present with a wide range of complexities that originate from direct consequences of the disease, but also from medicinal side effects and lack of activity. In addition to having motor impairments of dyskinesia, postural instability, imbalance, rigidity, tremors, gait impairments, patients with PD also have difficulty in other areas of personal and contextual factors like coping strategies, attitudes, as well as social and societal interactions. One of the most serious disability symptoms of patients with Parkinson's is freezing of gait (FOG) with almost 80% of patients experiencing it. Medication has been the traditional go to for management of Parkinson's. However, the patient still poses risk of deterioration on physical function, activities of daily living, and participation in social interactions. This can lead to inactivity, social isolation and reduced quality of life. Therefore a wide variety of health professionals need to work collaboratively and be educated on the latest rehabilitation strategies to effectively and efficiently address patient goals and function in this unique population.Highlights Physiology of typical and atypical presentation of Parkinson's disease Review assessment tools validated to assess function in patients with Parkinson's disease Effective techniques to he...

Parkinson's Disease: Causes, Symptoms, Assessment, and Treatment

Anysia Ensslen-Boggs, Ed.D., M.S., CCC-SLP

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects neurons in a specific area of the brain called the substantia nigra. Symptoms generally develop slowly over several years. The progression of symptoms is often quite different from one person to another due to the diversity of the disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) rated complications from PD as the 14th cause of death in the United States. Although there is no cure, treatment options can include medications, surgeries, physical, occupational, and/or speech therapy. While Parkinson's itself is not fatal, disease complications can be serious. It is possible to have a good to great quality of life while living with PD. The first step to living well with Parkinson's disease is to understand the nature of the disease and its progression. As rehabilitation professionals, it is important for us to understand the causes of PD, early signs of PD, movement and non-movement symptoms, and the various diagnosis and treatment options for those living with PD.Highlights Causes and symptoms of Parkinson's disease and how they can affect aspects of diagnosis and treatment within your specific discipline Diagnostic and therapeutic options when designing functional treatment plans for patients with Parkinson's disease

Rehabilitation Considerations in Geriatric Oncology

Nicole Scheiman, DrOT, MHS, OTR/L, CLT-LANA, CKTP, CEES-Advanced, CES, CSST, CDCS, CORE

Age is the single most significant risk factor for developing cancer, with 60% of all newly diagnosed malignant tumors and 70% of all cancer deaths occurring in persons 65 years or older (Korc-Grodzicki & Tew, 2017). Increased survival, along with a rise in new diagnoses of cancer among older adults, makes geriatric cancer patients the largest proportion of the population of cancer survivors in the United States (Extermann, 2020). Therefore, clinicians working with the older adult population are charged with understanding cancer treatment paired with the unique needs of the aging individual. This course will improve your understanding of these distinct rehabilitation needs of the older adult with cancer to enable you to provide effective treatment options to enhance overall quality of life in your daily practice.Highlights Immediately improve your understanding of the unique rehabilitation needs of the older adult with cancer Confidently provide safe, effective, and age-friendly treatment options for older adults receiving medical intervention for cancer