Monthly Professional Training
2010 Schedule

Evidence-Based Online Resources to Enhance Your Clinical Practice
Presenter: Rebecca Crabb, PhD, Special Fellow in Advanced Geriatrics, Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, VA Palo Alto Health Care System

Evidence-based practice means making clinical decisions by using the best available research evidence along with clinical expertise and information about what clients want and need. Many clinicians are interested in learning about the latest research relating to their clinical work, but lack the time and resources to regularly review the literature. The purpose of this session is to provide specific strategies and online resources to help busy clinicians quickly locate the best available research literature to support clinical decision-making.

Participants will be able to:

1. Make clinical questions clear and concise to facilitate online searching
2. Access and navigate a variety of high-quality online sources to find clinically relevant research information

Safety First!: Fall Prevention for Seniors in the Community
Presenter: Helen Lhim, DPT, Rehabilitation Supervisor/Physical Therapist, Ruth Ann Rosenberg Adult Day Health Center & Alzheimer’s Day Care Resource Center, Institute on Aging

What causes falls in the elder community? How are falls prevented? This session will review common contributing factors for falls, assessment tools, and interventions to reduce fall risk, focusing on an interdisciplinary approach. Professionals will gain a better understanding of fall prevention and how to keep our community dwelling frail elders safe at home.

Participants will be able to:

1. Identify common contributing factors for falls in the elder community
2. Identify interventions for fall prevention
3. Utilize assessment tools (i.e. home safety assessment) to identify fall risk

Elder Abuse-What Can We Really Do About It?
Presenter: Erika Falk, PsyD, Director, Geriatric Services, Institute on Aging and Director, San Francisco Elder Abuse Forsenic Center

May is Elder Abuse Awareness month in California. This session is an opportunity for a wide range of professionals to refresh their understanding about mandated reporting requirements, but more importantly, get updates on legislative efforts, policy, and emerging practices in the field of elder abuse advocacy and intervention. You will leave the session with practical knowledge, connections and inspiration.

Participants will:

1. Understand what elder abuse is and how to report it
2. Be able to identify a range of remedies for different types of abuse and neglect
3. Have increased familiarity with screening tools

Late Life Depression: A Treatable Illness
Presenter: Janet Meiselman, PsyD, Supervising Psychologist, Department of Psychology, Institute on Aging

Depression is not a natural part of the aging process and should not be regarded as inevitable or untreatable. Unfortunately, in our society, the effects of ageism have become obstacles to the proper diagnosis and treatment of depression in older adults. Classic depressive symptomatology appears in three domains: affective, cognitive, and somatic. When working with older adults with any type of depression, it is important to include suicide assessment as part of every clinical interview. This session will review the signs and symptoms of depression in general and how depression manifests itself in an aging person. Several assessment tools and approaches to clinical interviewing will be presented to screen for depression and suicidality. Treatment options, including medications and psychotherapy will be discussed.

Participants will:

1. Understand the impact and effects that ageism have on the processes of seeking help, diagnosing and treating mood disorders in older adults
2. Continue to bring awareness to the consequences of untreated depression in later life
3. Become familiar with how symptoms of depression manifest in older adults and how these symptoms may be misdiagnosed as dementia and/or lead to cognitive impairment
4. Learn about risk factors, referral mechanisms, and current treatments, including psychosocial, pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions

Managing the Fear, Grief and Loss That Accompany Hard Economic Times
Presenter: Patrick Arbore, EdD, Director, Center for Elderly Suicide Prevention and Grief-Related Services, Institute on Aging

According to an article in the SF Business Times (2009), for some older adults “putting food on the table and keeping a roof over their heads is taking precedent over longer-term issues like retirement as they cope with layoffs, pay cuts and pension freezes.” The economic downturn has undermined the effort that many people have expended to save money for their own retirement or a legacy for their children and grandchildren. Being victims of Ponzi schemes, poor investments, and rising costs have shattered many older adult's assumptions about the future. The losses may be financial but the impact has been personal. In this session, we will discuss the intense feelings that can accompany these hard economic times in which we live.

Participants will:

1. Recognize the impact of hard economic times on the mental health of older people
2. Learn communication skills that validate the feelings of older adults who may feel like victims of financial mismanagement
3. Understand the need for older people to grieve the losses both financial and personal that have resulted due to the economic downturn
4. Help older people manage the shattered assumptions about the future.

Dementia, Delirium, and Depression: Defining, Differentiating, and Discussing the Three "Ds" Common in Later Life
Presenter: Janet Meiselman, PsyD, Supervising Psychologist, Department of Psychology, Institute on Aging

The three most common mental health syndromes among the older adult population may be chronic or acute. It is important to differentiate among these syndromes because they present in similar ways and thus can be misdiagnosed. If these mental illnesses persist without accurate intervention, they can greatly impact our clients’ quality of life and may even be life threatening. By understanding the similarities and differences among these conditions, we are in a better position to help our clients obtain the necessary treatment.

Participants will:

1. Be able to define these three terms and identify the clinical manifestations of each
2. Differentiate among the three "Ds" and take home a chart to help compare the clinical features of each condition
3. Understand the causes and treatment options for these conditions

The Strange Behavior of the Addicted Person: Why Alcohol, Drugs, Gambling Remain the Most Important Things in Their Life
Presenter: Patrick Arbore, EdD, Director, Center for Elderly Suicide Prevention and Grief-Related Services, Institute on Aging

In this session we will discuss addiction as a pattern of compulsive substance use and/or compulsive behavior. According to Leshner (2006) addiction is defined as a chronic, relapsing brain disease. Whether the older person is addicted to alcohol, which is the most studied and the most common addiction, or gambling, which can devastate an older person's financial resources, both of these addictions can coexist and can lead to depression, anxiety, personality problems and suicidal ideation. A bio-psychosocial-spiritual model will be discussed to help us understand the pain and suffering that accompanies addiction. The spiritual dimension will be highlighted as it offers a crucial framework for recovery as it relates to an older person’s sense of meaning and connectedness.

Participants will:

1. Understand the scope of the problem of addiction and older people
2. Recognize how the aging body affects metabolism
3. Learn how to communicate with older people who may be misusing alcohol and/or are engaged in other forms of addictive behaviors
4. Understand how body, mind and spirit are furiously intertwined in the cycle of addiction

Spirituality and Trauma
Presenter: Elliot Kukla, Rabbi, Bay Area Jewish Healing Center

None of us go through life unscathed and old hurts often resurface as we age. Spiritual traditions look at the ways we are hurt as an integral part of who we are as individuals and as a society. In this session we will explore how all of our care can be informed by trauma and how spiritual tools and resources can promote the healing of old wounds as we age. We will also have an opportunity to share first hand stories and discuss the particular challenges and opportunities of working with individuals and families healing from violence as they age including the challenges facing survivors of domestic violence, veterans and refugees.

Participants will:

1. Learn about the spiritual issues that commonly emerge for survivors of trauma as they age
2. How to begin to tend to those issues and engage the spirituality of our clients as allies in their own healing
3. Reflect upon how our own spirituality as providers is informed by trauma or hurts

Challenging Clients and Motivation: How Continuing to Develop Your Skills Can Lead to Long-Lasting Behavioral Change
Presenter: Karyn Skultety, PhD, Director of Behavioral Health, OnLok Lifeways, Institute on Aging

This session will explore ways to motivate clients to change a behavior. We will cover both the basic rules of motivation that apply to behavior change, as well as consider more advanced techniques. Participants who have attempted to implement a plan with a difficult client to increase motivation will be encouraged to share their plans and ideas to both share what has worked and where they have encountered difficulties. There will be ample opportunity for sharing case examples and problem-solving so that participants leave the session with new ideas to utilize with difficult clients.

Participants will be able to:

1. Describe three basic tenets that apply to motivation
2. Identify one method to improve a current plan/intervention aimed at motivating clients
3. Describe one case example in which motivation has led to significant behavioral change