Course Description
Incorporating online content and the documentary Alzheimer’s: The Caregiver’s Perspective, this course explores Alzheimer’s disease and its impact on patients and their families and communities. The online content highlights topics relevant to social workers and behavioral health professionals, including aging trends and the prevalence of Alzheimer’s in the United States, the basics of the disease (diagnosis, stages, interventions, and levels of care), changes in the DSM-5 related to neurocognitive disorders (NCDs), and the impact of the disease on individuals and their families. Participants read the online content before viewing the 57-minute documentary, which presents both the broad societal challenges of the Alzheimer’s epidemic and the deeply personal human tragedy of individuals and families experiencing this disease. Participants read online content, view the documentary, and pass the online posttest with a score of 80% or better to print a certificate of completion.
Target Audience
This course is designed for social workers and other behavioral health practitioners who wish to better understand the challenges facing those with Alzheimer’s disease, along with the challenges confronted by caregivers, family members, and facilities that care for individuals with Alzheimer’s and other dementias.
Learning Objectives
After completing the course, readers will be able to do the following:
- Identify aging trends and the prevalence of Alzheimer’s in the United States.
- Identify the way in which Alzheimer’s disease develops in and progressively destroys the brain.
- Identify the stages of disease progression, along with the behavior changes that frequently accompany these stages.
- Identify the “three D’s” of aging (delirium, dementia, and depression) and why they are relevant to the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease.
- Identify demographic and health policy factors that have contributed to the effect of the Alzheimer’s epidemic on communities.
- Identify strategies for assisting and supporting caregivers and family members.