Updates on Dementia 2018 Objectives:
- Explain advances in Alzheimer’s research related to etiology, diagnosis, risk factors and treatment, and describe how research breakthroughs may impact care.
- Describe the latest empirical support linking cognitive impairment with anxiety in older adults and summarize the evidence base for treating late-life anxiety in the presence of cognitive dysfunction.
- Describe the multiple intersections between depression and dementia - that is, depression as a risk factor for dementia, depression as a premonitory symptom of dementia, depression as one of the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia, and depression as a potentially treatable cause of dementia symptoms (pseudo-dementia).
- Discuss the association between antidepressant drugs and the development of dementia, and the evidence for efficacy of antidepressant drugs in persons with dementia.
- Describe some of the challenges of symptom management in individuals with a diagnosis of dementia and another mental health disorder, and discuss better practices for supporting these individuals and their families.
- Describe the relationship between caregiver depression and care recipient mortality in dementia, and identify factors that contribute to caregiver depression.
- Describe salient issues in early- versus late-stage dementia caregiving, as well as describe coping tools provided for caregivers through cognitive behavioral therapy.
- Identify strategies for implementing person-centered care across all care settings and throughout the disease course.
- Understand the importance of detecting dementia, medical management, and ensuring appropriate care transitions for long term care providers.
- Discuss shortcomings of standard advance directives when it comes to dementia and how to address these shortcomings with a dementia-specific approach.
- Explain basics of estate planning (wills, trusts, finance, health care, taxes) and long term care planning and benefits (including public benefits to pay for care).
