Geriatric Continuing Education Modules

Nurse attends to older adult man in a nursing home.
Free, one-hour on-line modules provide training on geriatric topics in order to advance teamwork among health professionals caring for older adults. Modules incorporate the expertise of local, regional and national leaders in geriatrics, neurology, pharmacy, physical therapy, nursing, social work and other disciplines.

Learning modules for health care professionals

Addressing Depression in the Context of Age-Friendly Care

Major depressive disorder comes under the “M” of Mentation in the Age-Friendly Health System model.   Men aged 65 and older constitute the highest rate per 100,000 population. Primary care practices must be equipped to provide this care as there are not enough geriatricians to meet this need. This activity will discuss suicidal epidemiology, assessment, and treatment for Major Depressive Disorder.

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Advance Care Planning

Advance Care Planning (ACP) is the face-to-face time a physician or other qualified health care professional spends with a patient, family member, or surrogate to explain and discuss advance directives. Every person should have the opportunity to express their wishes for end-of-life care. Documenting preferences will aid the medical team in respecting the individual’s wishes as he or she approaches the end of life.

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Advocating for Independence: Assessing for Capacity and Elder Mistreatment

For some individuals, cognitive impairment can be so severe that decision-making is so permanently and irreversibly altered that they need significant support even when they remain physically well. In contrast, other individuals remain cognitively intact but develop physical limitations that make it challenging for them to enact their decisions. As a result, they sometimes must rely on others to physically care for them.  

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Creating Age-Friendly Health Systems

Dive into the IHI Age-Friendly 4M Framework and learn how to address a persistent unmet need for medical practices that focuses care on the health goals and preferences of older adults. 

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Comprehensive Management of Osteoporosis in Primary Care

Osteoporosis, a common condition of the skeletal system, benefits from a comprehensive approach to providing effective and age-friendly care. Primary care providers have a significant role in screening multiple health systems, including the skeletal system. An age-friendly interprofessional collaborative approach provides an effective means of addressing bone health.

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High-Risk Medications in the Elderly

Adverse drug events can occur when medications are used incorrectly or a drug interaction occurs. According to the CDC, Adverse drug events cause approximately 1.3 million emergency department visits each year. About 350,000 patients each year need to be hospitalized for further treatment after emergency visits for adverse drug events. Older adult populations are at a higher risk of experiencing an adverse drug event and becoming hospitalized as a result. This module will address the characteristics of medications that are high-risk, and how to mitigate those risks for older adult patients.

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Promoting Medicare Annual Wellness Visits

Promoting proactive approaches to preventive health can make a difference. This module aims to educate providers and clinical staff regarding the components, documentation, and benefits in providing Medicare Annual Wellness Visits to all eligible patients.

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Providing Home-based Primary Care

An estimated 1.9 million U.S. adults age 65 or older are completely or mostly homebound. Home-based primary care (HBPC) provided by multidisciplinary teams to vulnerable, homebound older adults has been shown to reduce costs, with high rates of patient satisfaction and reduced symptom burden. 

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Providing Nursing Care for Those Living with Dementia

Dementia is prevalent in hospitals and nursing homes. This set of five 15-minute modules is intended for nurses and nursing assistants who work in facilities that provide care for persons living with dementia. Others wanting strategies and techniques to help better support persons living with dementia may also find this training helpful.

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Sexuality, Intimacy and Dementia

There are many misconceptions surrounding the need for intimacy and expressions of sexuality within an aging population in general. A diagnosis of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease does not eliminate the human need for intimacy and sexual expression. This module will address common misconceptions, approaches to appropriately meet the needs of patients with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease and explain techniques to family and caregivers.

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SPIKES: A Six-Step Protocol for Delivering Bad News

Healthcare providers will potentially deliver bad news to patients many times throughout their careers.  Disclosing bad news is inherently negative and can contribute to stress and anxiety.  When practitioners are uncomfortable giving bad news, they may avoid discussing distressing information or convey unwarranted optimism.   Having a strategy to increase confidence during this patient interaction, has been demonstrated to reduce anxiety and burnout.

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Supporting Persons Living with Dementia and their Caregivers

Primary care medical offices play a vital role in identifying dementia early and offering ongoing support of not only the person living with dementia but their caregivers, yet primary care clinicians have limited time to address the complex care required of their patients with dementia. Enrolling patients with dementia in chronic care management can provide the opportunity for reimbursement for time spent outside of the regular office visit. Utilizing community resources, such as services through the Alzheimer’s Association, can also help provide patients and caregivers with needed support and education.

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Telemedicine: Addressing Barriers for Special Populations

Telehealth covers a wide variety of technology-enabled exchange of health and care management information. Telemedicine is one aspect of telehealth that refers to the delivery of health care between patient and health care provider typically through video conferencing. Telemedicine can increase access to care, increase follow-up care, and reduce health care costs.

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Learning modules for certified nurse assistants

Creating Meaningful Activities for Residents

Older adults who have dementia benefit from feeling engaged and productive. Facilities offer activities and entertainment to encourage social interaction, reduce anxiety, stimulate the brain, and inspire feelings of accomplishment among their residents.

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Engage at Every Stage: Promotion and Support of Activity and Safe Mobility

This module will help increase your knowledge of the common characteristics of the stages of cognitive decline. We can learn when to use which strategies to help support and care for our residents based on their level of cognitive impairment.

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Dementia and Behavioral Health Medications

Have you ever experienced a resident whose behavior became aggressive? This module will help you increase your knowledge of psychotropic medications’ benefits and risks in managing dementia-related behaviors.

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Nonpharmacological Approaches to Behavioral Management

Have you ever experienced a resident whose behavior became aggressive? This module will help you develop new strategies to manage dementia-related behaviors before seeking a medication solution.

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Promotion of Oral Hygiene

Have you ever struggled to help a resident brush their teeth? This module outlines seven strategies to assist people living with dementia maintain their oral health.

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This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number U1QHP28735. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Health Resources and Services Administration or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.