Aging CEU Courses for SLPs

A comprehensive, systematic clinical pathway to effectively assess and manage dysphagia in persons with dementia is described in this course. Common eating challenges and contraindications of enteral feeding for those with advanced stage dementia are addressed. Environmental modifications, swallow strategies and adaptive equipment that can enhance the safety and experience of oral intake are also discussed.

Motor variability refers to the natural variation that occurs in repeated task movements. Evidence for this task variability in swallowing, and how it can be influenced by age-related changes (presbyphagia), are described in this course. Discussion includes ways to improve diagnostic accuracy by using this information to differentiate typical variation from true impairment in swallowing performance.

An overview of Spaced Retrieval Training (SRT), an evidence-based technique that can assist in the recall and retention of information, is described in this Fast Class, and the evidence supporting it is reviewed. Demonstrations of how to screen potential patients, set goals, and implement SRT are provided.

Master skills to implement in your practice immediately with continued Master Class. The complex symptomatology of Lewy body dementias (Parkinson’s disease dementia and dementia with Lewy bodies) along with evaluation and intervention approaches for PTs, OTs, and SLPs are examined in this Master Class. Case studies emphasize opportunities and approaches for interprofessional collaboration to provide comprehensive, person-centered care.

Patients who are losing weight or demonstrating behaviors that decrease oral intake are at high risk for adverse events, especially in the geriatric population. The impact of impaired cognition on feeding, and strategies to assess and treat patients who are struggling at mealtimes, are described in this course.

Interactions between frailty, sarcopenia, and an aging swallow can result in significant swallowing difficulties in geriatric clients. This course discusses the relationships between swallowing, frailty, and aging, as well as additional contributing factors, and describes interventions to manage and possibly prevent sarcopenic dysphagia.

Mental health issues concerning older adults are discussed in this course. Topics include the intersection between mental and physical health, symptoms of common mental health disorders in this population, and referral criteria.

This course discusses the philosophy behind meeting meaningful needs in therapy, along with tools and counseling techniques that help with understanding a client’s needs. Specific techniques such as ethnographic counseling, motivational interviewing, and tools for verbally impaired clients are described, and examples within therapy interactions are provided.

Many therapists understand the evidence-based treatment approaches for dementia, but are unsure how to write an effective goal to support these. This course describes how to select treatments and write goals according to stage of decline, patient-specific needs, and intended discharge location.

This course provides an overview of using Montessori methods when working with the aging population and patients with dementia. This approach is evidence-based, person-centered, and based on the Montessori educational philosophy that promotes independence, engagement in activities, and care for one’s self, others and the environment. Application of Montessori principles to speech therapy and caregiving interactions is also described.